Vampire films are a dime a dozen, and it’s challenging to come up with a hook to put you ahead of the curve. I go into low-budget horror/vampire films with much trepidation and low expectations since the odds are against them. For her debut feature, director Taylor Martin and screenwriter Simon Phillips tackle vampire mythology during the Christmas season. Cleopatra Entertainment and MVD Visual have brought the indie horror/action/comedy Silent Bite to disc this month, and despite its faults, it happens to be solid entertainment.
A gang of bank robbers have just scored a massive amount of money during a heist and have taken refuge at the Jolly Rancher Hotel. It’s a place for them to hide out long enough until their ride shows up and gets them out of dodge. The concierge has assured them there’s no one else staying there, but that’s not entirely true.
A quartet of gorgeous bloodsuckers is waiting for some fools to feed on, and a feast has just arrived. The vampires have just begun to turn a new recruit and should be hanging back, but the urge to feed is just too strong. With hours between the robbers and sunlight, they’ve barricaded themselves in their room, but it’s only a matter of time before they clash, and the strongest will survive.
Silent Bite is not a perfect film. It has several flaws that are easily overlooked by how good and likable the cast is. They’re relatively unknown, but their onscreen chemistry helps elevate it. Simon Phillips, Michael Swatton, Luke Avoledo, and Nick Biskupek chew up their dialogue as the bank robbers.
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Sayla de Goede, Louisa Capulet, Kelly Schwartz, and Sienna Star are as sexy and menacing as they should be. Camille Blott is the girl reluctantly getting turned into a vampire and plays it sympathetically. The character believably forms a bond with one of the robbers.
The animated title sequence sets the tone, but it’s hard to deny the influence of Quentin Tarantino on the proceedings. The rhythm of the dialogue, the robbery you never see, and the switch from crime to horror are very reminiscent of the director’s early work. The casual viewer will likely not catch it, but the homage is there.
If I had one complaint, it would be the lack of gore. I’m sure the production had their reasons, but if the gore quotient had been elevated, it could have been really special.
As it stands, Silent Bite is a surprisingly entertaining piece of genre work that doesn’t blaze any new trails but does please the audience with humor and excitement. The Blu-ray doesn’t include much in the way of special features, but the transfer is vibrant, highlighting Taylor Martin’s direction.
I’d like to see this team reunite for another project because there’s something special here that can only continue to grow.
Check out the trailer here.
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