Kiss of the Damned

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Kiss of the Damned
Starring Josephine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis
Directed by Xan Cassavetes


One night the mysterious Djuna (Josephine de La Baume) meets screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia) at a video rental store, and romance blossoms almost immediately.  Djuna is apprehensive, however, because she's a vampire and she doesn't want to fall for a mortal man.  One night she confesses everything to him, and he allows her to bite him, making him a vampire as well.

The two begin a relationship and everything is going good.  They don't hunt humans but rather drink the blood from animals, and they live a very civilized existence.  That is, until Djuna's wild sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) visits.  She embraces the vampire world and everything it entails - including feasting on humans.  Her wild, reckless ways threaten Djuna and Paolo's relationship as well as threatening to expose them to the public.

I could see where director Xan Cassavetes was going with this film - he wanted to establish a more artsy vampire movie instead of the campy "Twilight" crap that's been spread around, but unfortunately it fails on one simple premise: the movie seems like a one-note trip, traveling down a road you feel like you've been down before.  There is no shocks, no surprises, it's very cut and dry.  Plus the acting was exceptionally wooden, without any emotion or tension.  The best character in the whole film is the Asian maid! 

My Rating: C+

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