DreadClub: Vampire’s Verdict is a unique creation, with every aspect, from writing, directing, animation, editing, etc., handled by the singular talent of Hooroo Jackson. The filmmaker’s use of artificial intelligence in crafting his vampire opus, which employs two distinct styles of anime to contrast innocence and sin, is a bold and innovative move. Does this ambitious experiment result in a captivating viewing experience for the audience, or is the first ever A.I. anime more a historical curiosity than something worth seeking out?
Betty is a college sophomore who is obsessed with the tales of vampires who roamed the halls of the very school she’s attending. To find like-minded people, she begins a Dread Club, despite them being banned on campus due to an unfortunate incident some three decades earlier. This tragedy involved a student suicide, though rumors claim it was a vampire attack. Through this club, she meets Duchamps, a charming though somewhat anti-social person. Problems befall Betty when school administrators discover her Dread Club, and she’s forced to teach summer school as penance.
“…accusations of vampirism and manipulating women to suit his whims land Duchamps in court.”
During this time, Betty and Duchamps begin getting closer and closer. However, accusations of vampirism and manipulating women to suit his whims land Duchamps in court. Betty must now get her students to pass summer school or be expelled, prove her lover innocent, and decide if she can handle the fact that he very well could be a vampire. What’s a girl to do?
DreadClub: Vampire’s Verdict begins very manically. The first 20 or so minutes are just a barrage of seemingly random people talking very fast at the viewer, who is entirely left in the dust. Aside from Betty, no one is introduced nor given much in the way of a personality. While a few of these people begin to take shape as the 88-minute runtime ticks by, some of them remain just some random clubgoers Betty knows.
This also makes trying to figure out the plot in that same timeframe very difficult. Events just seem to happen as most scenes begin in media res — the how and why of certain things are unclear and remain that way for about half the film. To be fair, specific plot points are intended to be convoluted or obscured until certain moments. However, that shouldn’t excuse the confusion caused by trying to piece together basic character arcs.
"…the first ever A.I. anime..."
