Theatrical Review of Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries-Part I

" ...original and earnest...

Theatrical review

By Jason P. Vargo
First published Feb 21, 2009

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The first in a proposed trilogy, "Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries-Part I" stands traditional vampire flicks on their heads, opting to focus on the family dynamic when "saintly" Helen (Devon Bailey) turns into a blood-sucker. It's original and earnest, two qualities which benefit the finished product greatly. Narratively speaking, the film is straight forward enough, taking place almost exclusively inside the Baxter home with a very small cast of characters. This turns into one of the downfalls of the story, too. Despite a short running time of 86 minutes, the movie runs out of meaningful situations for the group with 20 minutes left.

First, though, the good: "Diaries" never over extends its reach, opting to do what it knows it can do within the confines of the budget. What that means is Messerer doesn´t try to stage elaborate action sequences or pretend his production has the resources to compete other vampire flicks. He´s a smart writer/director/producer/editor/cinematographer in that sense. The things the script wants to do are possible precisely because of the limited cast and single location.

Scenes of Helen vamping it up-no pun intended-are masterfully orchestrated without much, if any, CGI, creating a realistic look akin to classic monster movies. The same holds true for the entirety of the film: from death scenes to seemingly simple science experiments, the fact the props and make-ups were present on set gives "Diaries" a fresh feel. That´s not to say CGI can´t be a tool in the filmmakers toolbox with which to put together a sequence; most directors don´t know when to say when, thereby filling a film with unnecessary gore. There really is nothing like practical effects.

We´re led to believe, early on, Helen´s sister Lara (Eilis Cahill) will be the center of the story. After all, she is heavily into the Goth scene and we know what the film will be about. A bit of misdirection to be sure and quite effective in the long run, save a revelation regarding the parentage of the three children; an older brother, Raymond (Michael Strelow), comes out to his family while performing neurological experiments in his bedroom. Yes, his bedroom. No, don´t try to make sense of it. Just run with the plot.

The main story concerns Lara, Raymond and their mother (JoJo Hristova) coming to terms with Helen´s vampirism. Messerer clearly intends the supernatural to be a stand in for other kinds of "coming out," from homosexuality (evidenced by Raymond) to various other interests. That´s the lesson here, if there is one to be learned: no matter what family may do, the right thing is to support them whole heartedly. To be sure, this group goes a bit far in providing Helen food, but, again, just go with the story. Some segments of society will see this as a further example of parents letting their children do whatever they want, to allow society to supposedly influence who they are and bring down other people in the process.

Acting-wise, the leads all perform admirably, but none more so than Bailey. Her vampire isn´t merely a creature with one purpose; she cares about her family; we can see the devastation in her initially as the heavenly child personae is dropped in favor of the creature. Hristova turns in a powerful performance with relatively little to do as Mom, a stern, commanding, confident woman. Gruff at the outset, she turns into a mother merely protecting her child, trying to provide for her as best she can, by the end. Cahill and Strelow are given somewhat less to do, sadly.

Now for the not so good: knowing this is the first part in an on-going series serves to allay a few of the problems seen in this installment. For instance, two plot twists late in the story seem to come out of nowhere. One involves parentage, the other an unwanted visitor. It´s impossible not to feel these potential storylines are setting up the second and third chapters of this story, yet feel completely tacked on here.

A slight nit pick concerning the way the Baxter´s begin to support both Raymond and Helen. It happens entirely too quickly because the script demands it and not as a natural outgrowth of their relationships. Messerer could have taken the entire running time to delve into this aspect of their dynamic, yet it´s basically glossed over. How do you make a social statement such as acceptance without demonstrating how your characters get there? An ongoing subplot regarding a goddess of some sort we´re theoretically supposed to connect to Helen is woven through the movie. Any time a flashback-like sequence jumps on the screen, the movie screeches to a halt. In the grand scheme of things, it´s probably needed for the overall direction of the story, but there has to be another way to include it. (We won´t even mention the father figure who all but disappears in the beginning of the film.)

Messerer tries to have his characters be witty, script full of head-scratching moments and, to a large extent, succeeds. Not because they´re particularly genius; they tend to remind me of "Juno" in a lot of ways. Rather, they fit right in with the types of people we´re seeing. We don´t blink when a doctor tells Helen some bed rest will cure her from a monumental nosebleed. To hear Raymond created a list of townspeople to sacrifice to Helen is absurd and strangely logical at the same time.

Too many montages showcasing the passage of time are used as a crutch instead of straight time jumps or taking the time to demonstrate the changes being made. And inside each of those montages, the score tends to be oppressive. Even in other sequences, the piano takes center stage, to the detriment of the dialogue. There´s no good storytelling reason to have energetic piano accompaniment to a dinner scene relying on the spoken word. There is no drama to play up; the music simply stops as if to illustrate a point the audience already knows is important.

Without a doubt, "Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries-Part I" is rough around the edges, a direct result of a newbie behind the camera carrying the weight of the entire production and an ultra-low budget. Messerer is a new voice in cinema, one that shows potential as long as certain lessons are learned from this film. The film squeezes out a 6 out of 10; it legitimately tries, even if the final product isn´t 100% successful.