After Midnight (2005)

   

Directed by: Phil Herman, Laura Giglio, Isabelle Stephen, Steven Grainger and Tiffany Warren Yarbrough.

Written by: Phil Herman and Tiffany Warren Yarbrough

Starring:

Nancy Feliciano .... Chris
Laura Giglio .... Sky
Johnny Monotone .... Art
Cindy Osbourne .... Dr. Janeane Melocarro
Gina Garcia .... The Vampire
Isabelle Stephen .... Model
Rick Trembles .... Pervert Photographer
Heidi Martinuzzi .... The Girl
Phil Herman .... Larry

Release Date: Direct-to-video: April 22, 2005

 

 

Rating:

 

This is a four-chapter horror anthology framed by a stormy night reading of a book called ‘After Midnight’ by lingerie clad Nancy Feliciano.

First up is Laura Giglio who directs and stars in ‘I Want To Be A Vampire’. Giglio stars a “vampire”, Sky, who is granting an interview with cynical journalist Tony Bork who is going to take some serious convincing to believe her. Would you believe a vampire named Sky?

Next up is ‘A Moment of Darkness’ written and directed by Tiffany Warren Yarbrough. This involved tale focuses on the lackadaisical life of a doctor (Cindy Osbourne), which is radically transformed when she’s bitten by a psychotic patient (Gina Garcia). The tale then rapidly becomes a tale of lesbian vampire lust and love gone awry which builds to a harrowing climax.

Third is Isabelle Stephen starring and directing in ‘Perfect Subject’. Isabelle plays a “model” that poses for random customers for money, but no sex. Then one day a very slimy and sinister photographer (Rick Trembles) comes knocking on her door…but who has the last laugh?

Lastly is ‘No One Else Around’ with Nancy Feliciano (Heidi Martinuzzi) as the last woman on earth going slowly mad and whose loneliness and despair is witnessed building to an inevitable and haunting conclusion. Each of these segments is book-ended by Nancy whom is harboring some secrets of her own, which come to bear when her “reading” is interrupted by neighbor Larry (Phil Herman).

 

In the wraparound story there's not much to describe in the beginning with the Hostess finding a book on After Midnight and looking through it while we get into the chapters but the ending shows on what she became as this looked cheesily effective.

The first chapter I Want to Be a Vampire was rather silly but funny to watch adding comedy with the horror in which we have Art being so persistanet towards Art about being a vampiress and heated arguments on him not believing her as the discussions looked quite set up and wooden but after a while it seems rather funny to watch.
Also we have a moment with her fangs as once again you could tell it was a child's Halloween costume and not looking real due to the lack on the budget of this flick. Oh well.
Then the tables turn when she discovers that he's a vampire which is quite humoress and we find out that she was trying to trick him as this chapter was short and simple. It seemed mildly entertaining.

A Moment of Darkness is the best chapter of them all in which we spot a club with people dancing and trashy camera shots as well as bad audio too. Yet this seems to draw you in and it looked mildly entertaining to watch.
Also have an intense moment with Dr. Janeane Melocarro trying to have a mental patient under control which looked powerfully done as well as leaving an impression that this patient is a vampiress by how everything was put together. Also a nice moment with this patient sinking her teeth into Janeane's arm.
Nice setting with Janeane coming to a bar and talking to the Club Guy but the audio is so badly put in I had to crank up the volume to hear on what was said as well as throughout the rest of the scene's. But it seems impressive that she's about to bite his neck but there's no bloody affects due to the lack of the budget. Yet when this happens the results are beyond amateurish. Later on things are impressive when she feels sick after drinking his blood which draws you in a bit.
A nice moment with the patient whom is credited as the Vampire talking to Janeane about who she is as things looked good and calm with trashy camera shots on them caressing one another which was a little too long. Seems a bit of a bore for a lesbian vampire flick with this scene and nothing to be aroused about.
Interesting ending on this chapter a suicide is about to happen by one of them put fuel on themselves and trying to light one of themselves on fire.

Perfect Subject was the worst and most annoying of them all in which we have many undressing of the Model and showing how cocky she is as well as moments with her and the Pervert Photographer in which this chapter just goes around in circles and not leading to a real plot.
We also spot a moment when he strangles her to death as this doesn't look realistic at all and it looked very mild as this wasn't supposed to be that way at all.
Then we have the ending when she turns as this was supposed to look suspenseful to watch but we all know better than to think that way after the lame and dull moments used piece by piece while watching this and to be thankful that this chapter is coming to an end.

No One Else Around was a wee bit better but not by much as we spot the main character titled the Girl as she seems to go into a depression as wellas an overly long scene of her undressing and dressing into a new outfit as well as her going out for some reason to find someone whom is still out there and calling out. I was like "Booooring"
Yet something that grabs your attention is when she turns on the TV and a newscaster is on and then starts talking to her which was comedic looking and barely entertaining to watch him do a striptease as you don't see this in your everyday life.
Also the ending looked a little psyched out as you see her sinking her head in a tub of water and BANG!

Bottom line is that this one was a bit of an improvement compared to Around Midnight but not by much. Just less boring and amaterish although nothing of this anthology was professional looking by any means at all. The odd chapter you might get a kick out of if you're in the mood for a trashy horror flick and being up all night to watch it or with a bunch of friends wanting to not take it seriously at all. ANother one that was independently released onto DVD for a limited time on their own company site.

The acting is not so great but certain actors seem to do okay so I will see who I can dig up this time that's worth mentioning here .... Nancy Feliciano (Chris) whom is in the wraparound segments doesn't do a heck of alot but sometimes reacts well after reading the book or does an okay job by being alert on things. Plus seemed to do not too badly when she b ecomes a vampiress and attacks someone.

In the first chapter I Want to Be a Vampire actress Laura Giglio (Sky) seemed a bit better in this one than in Around Midnight but of course she still is a bit over the top. At the same time she added some great spunk and charisma into her role which made her very humoress and offered alot of energy into what she did here. Shows off some interesting aggressions when needed to as well as doing a good job by freaking out when she realises the guest she invited was really a vampire. She stands out well onto the camera.
Johnny Monotone (Art) on the other hand couldn't act his way out of a paper bag as he just said his lines and shows off no characteristics whatsoever even when he was being blunt or aggressive. He was incredibly wooden and stiff in his role. This wasn't even funny on how awful his performance is and my guess was he was a friend of the filmmakers.

A Moment of Darkness had the best acting efforts in which Cindy Osbourne (Dr. Janeane Melocarro) seemed to do a sharp and solid performance and showing a nice calmness to her role. Also does well getting into a conversation. Plus she shows it off well as a vampiress attacking. Reacts well to being sick as her expressions show of f well too. Does a good job caressing someone and getting into her lesbian mode. Shows a nice vicious attitude when stabbing someone to death as she shows a good forceful attitude.
Gina Garcia (The Vampire) knew her craft quite well showing great insane aggressions struggling in a hospital and offered a perfect viciousness as well as doing a great job by biting someone. Shows a nice versatality with her calmness as well as her smooth talking while getting into a conversation explaining to someone as to whom they are now.

Perfect Subject had the worst acting ever... Isabelle Stephen (Model) really got on my nerves big time and annoyed the hell out of me with her hyped up speaking and acting cocky. I wasn't convinced at all with what she did. She tried too hard in her role to get into character but didn't do the trick at all. She wasn't the least bit entertaining.

No One Else Around has Heidi Martinuzzi (The Girl) playing someone whom is lonely and depressed as the only person on Earth but her weeping seemed rather phony. She seemed to do okay calling out when she is seeing if anoyone is out there as well as getting aroused or getting into a conversation to someone on the TV screen. She wasn't that great of a character actress nonetheless.

Isabelle Stephen takes it off a great deal first being wet in a shower with a shirt on that is shows her breasts and then takes it all off top to bottom while lying on top of a bed getting into her mode along with getting ready for a model shoot.
Heidi Matinuzzi takes off her top while looking in a mirror of herself and then takes it off again while calling for someone outside.
Nancy Feliciano takes off her top nerar the end of her performance showing her breasts while she reveals that she's a vampiress.

The gore effects were terribly phony but there's some blood dripping
Odd bloody bites
Some bloodied bodies on a TV screen
Mild bloody stabbing

Christopher Kahler has improved on his work in this one compared to Around Midnight in which he uses his synthesizer to have suspenseful classical scoring which sounds okay for a cheap synthesizer. However he does use other elements which once again sounds rather annoying. Also odd techno sounds which I absolutely hate hearing. There's odd accoustic guitar playing in a certain small scene of a chapter as this sounded fairly unique.