Image via Hooroo Jackson
Dread Club: Vampire’s Verdict is an animated A I feature film that takes movie making to another level. Writer-director Hooroo Jackson has fashioned something unique with this Gothic horror romance, that not only feels cinematic, but proves to be truly engaging. Across the 87-minutes Dread Club embraces B-movie horror tropes, adolescent pre-occupations, as well as exploring deeper theological questions. Jumping back and forth in time mapping out an eternal love story against the backdrop of animalistic blood lust, it brings together competing elements to create something truly compelling.
Image via Hooroo Jackson
The relationship that brings this film to life between Betty and Dechamps crackles with low key charisma, adding emotional depth to a story that leans into traditional tropes. Dread Club is also extremely effective at combining flashbacks to fill in backstory, giving this A I generated feature a real sense of sophistication. As the narrative moves effortlessly between courtroom melodrama, Universal style monster mashups, and Twilight imbued adolescent infatuation, Dread Club continues to draw audiences in. Stylistically the Manga inspired artistry and Studio Ghibli anime also enriches this low-fi A I, by effortlessly influencing tone through its ever-evolving visual palette.
Image via Hooroo Jackson
However, DreadClub does suffer from an overabundance of ideas, courtesy of writer-director Hooroo Jackson. There is no denying his ambition when it comes to creating something special, but occasionally ideas get lost among the melee. Lofty intentions are all well and good, but doing away with superfluous segues would have made this film better. On occasion the flashbacks clash with present-day plot lines, making Dread Club feel muddled. Again, this desire to pack every moment with information makes it a demanding watch, while a delicate application of brevity in certain dialogue exchanges may have helped. Likewise, as much as the inclusion of a fully realised cast of ensemble players might be impressive, there is a nagging feeling that certain sub-plots often slow things down.
Image via Hooroo Jackson
Those niggles aside, DreadClub is still a terrifying illustration of where A I stands in creative terms, while the conspicuous lack of studio involvement in this film raises questions. In the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a changing, and it will only be another five years before mainstream studios like Sony Pictures make A I a permanent possibility. For that reason, this film feels more like a premonition of things to come, as one filmmaker with a singular vision has created everything special free from interference. The only limits being his imagination and access to an adequate number of hard drives. However, for the less fatalistic, maybe now is a good time to kick back and enjoy DreadClub for what it is and try not to think about it.
DreadClub: Vampire’s Verdict will be available soon.