Lourdes Viray’s Allure to Darkness is an unexpected and refreshing twist on the vampire’s tale. Lilith (Janae Marzan) is a young college student being walked to her car by Stefan (Emmanuel Gutierrez). But Stefan realizes he forgot his camera in class and heads back to get it. Now alone, before Lilith can unlock her car, she is assaulted by a mysterious stranger (Landon Munoz), leaving her with severe blood loss and two holes in the side of her neck.
Later that night, Lilith discovers that she has grown fangs and has heightened senses. Even weirder, she is no longer seeing her reflections in mirrors. To make matters worse, women in the area are being murdered, and Lilith’s assailant is the prime suspect. She fears that she might be next. But can Lilith find a way to use her newfound powers to triumph in the end?
“…assaulted by a mysterious stranger, leaving her with severe blood loss and two holes in the side of her neck.”
Let’s get this out of the way now, Allure to Darkness is a DIY short film. Since it takes place at a college, I’m going to guess it is probably a student film. I mention this only to set expectations. It has no budget or lighting crew, and the actors are just getting their feet wet in the entertainment business. All these elements do prevent the horror short from attaining a perfect 10 out of 10.
However, where the film shines is in its story. The filmmaker places the vampire tale in a modern setting dealing with contemporary issues. Yes, there is a sexual nature to the lore, but Viray is clever by connecting the mythology to assault against women.
Allure to Darkness is an example of a production with no budget, realizing that a good story will overcome any financial obstacle set in the way.
"…a good story will overcome any financial obstacle..."
