Another Hole in the Head Film Festival Reviews: “The Explorer” and “Danni and the Vampire”
By: Joseph Perry (Twitter - Uphill Both Ways Podcast)
Director Alexandre Brecher’s French documentary The Explorer follows Michel Ballot — a former lawyer who for the past 15 years has been searching for proof that the cryptid Mokele-mbembe exists — during an African expedition. Ballot and his crew traverse the Congo Basin, with its dangers ranging from the elements to elephant poachers, trying to find tangible evidence of, and hopefully actually see, the sauropod-like creature. Tomasso Cassinis captures the journey with splendid cinematography, presenting the beauty of the area and the attitudes, traditions, and lifestyles of the locals. Brecher focuses on the trials and tribulations of the man determined to find out whether a legend is reality, Ballot’s supportive family, and the men who share his dream. Ballot makes an intriguing subject, and the film is much more about his pursuit of a dream than it is about the legendary river beast that locals claim can be summoned through rituals. The Explorer is a riveting documentary for cryptozoology aficionados and other curious viewers who prefer substance over sensationalism.
Speaking of cryptids and monster hunters, Danni and the Vampire is a horror comedy that follows the misadventures of a young woman named Danni (Alexandra Landau) who has the claim to fame of killing the Jersey Devil. When she finds herself caught between two warring cryptid hunter groups — one that wants to slay vampire Remy (Henry Kiely) and one that wants to save him — she gets herself involved in a mission to rescue the bloodsucker that turns into a massacre. The two then become good friends as they road trip on their way to realizing Remy’s dream of starting up a sanctuary for vampires, ruining lives and disillusioning people along the way. Writer/director Max Werkmeister has cooked up an often quite irreverent outing that is quirky in the best senses of the word. Landau does a fine job in a role that requires making an often annoying personality enjoyable, and Kiely is also solid as one of the most laid-back, fun-loving vampires you have probably ever seen on the screen. The chemistry between these two leads is fantastic, and they are joined by a fine supporting cast that includes Caron Clancey as pro-cryptid group leader Margaret, Scott Vermiere as rival group leader Kaine, and Lew Hopson as Father Williams, who owns the church where Remy would like to set up shop. Shot in bright colors and lots of sunshine, and featuring some fitting poignancy to go along with the offbeat humor and bloodletting, Danni and the Vampire is an impressive feature film debut from Werkmeister.
The Explorer and Danni and the Vampire screened as part of the Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, which ran online from December 11–27, 2020.
Joseph Perry is one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast (whenitwascool.com/up-hill-both-ways-podcast/) and Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast (decadesofhorror.com/category/classicera/). He also writes for the film websites Diabolique Magazine (diaboliquemagazine.com), Gruesome Magazine (gruesomemagazine.com), The Scariest Things (scariesthings.com), Ghastly Grinning (ghastlygrinning.com), and Horror Fuel (horrorfuel.com), and film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope (videoscopemag.com) and Drive-In Asylum (etsy.com/shop/GroovyDoom).
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