A direct-to-streaming offering, Vampire Slayer is a new-age riff on the classic trope of the Vampire Hunter. Here in the world created by Tim Russ and Shawnda Christiansen, Vampires are fought by covens of light workers. What is a light worker, I hear you ask. Light workers are naturally gifted healers and defenders of the natural world. They protect the veil of consciousness and attempt to keep it good and sealed. They are empowered by the Goddess Cassandra (Crystal Allen) to slay the creatures that would tear the veil between light and darkness, namely, vampires.
In Vampire Slayer, we open with a mass proliferation of Vampires run by a profoundly powerful monster named Papa (Richard Tyson). Papa and his pack of nasties are looking to capture and use the powers of The Chosen One to make them all essentially daywalkers. Their fiendish plan is powered by the blood of a 10-year-old girl they’ve kidnapped.
To stand in their way is a circle of light workers, which is destined to be led by a new Slayer, Raven Cross (Madison Russ). Raven has been slip-sliding through life, unmoored and directionless. In Vampire Slayer, Raven begins to come into these light side powers. Initially, she dreamwalks. Then she learns how to kill the vampires. Finally, when reunited with her dead mother’s gear, she has the means to destroy all the Vampires and especially Papa. Combining her materials with the circle of Light workers, Madison begins her hunt in earnest.
“Papa and his pack of nasties are looking to capture and use the powers of The Chosen One to make them all essentially day walkers.”
The New Age/Metaphysical approach to Vampire Slayer has an intriguing quality to it. Here we have Slayers who are not simply killing machines. To be clear, there is ample violence in Vampire Slayer. There are also some great discussions about how the power of light works. How the circle goes about its duties. And most importantly, where they derive their power from. To learn more about these items, I encourage you to watch Vampire Slayer, dear reader.
Shawnda Christiansen has written a pretty decent vampire-hunting screenplay. The dialogue was believable, and the characters felt lived in. There was a poetic quality to her script, and it powers Vampire Slayer nicely. Tim Russ, likewise, has directed Vampire Slayer most effectively. You can tell there is great intention behind the deeds portrayed in this lean and muscular film. I was quite taken with the character interactions, especially of the circle of light workers, who are Raven’s support in this tale.
The cinematography is solid. The mise-en-scene suggests any city in the USA, which I like. Vampire Slayer could happen anywhere the various classes of American society interact regularly. This could easily be set in Frankfurt, Kentucky, or even Albuquerque, New Mexico. All that is needed are the standard locations found in any city in this country. I quite enjoyed that perspective.
Vampire Slayer’s descriptions of content suggest this is the first installment in the tale of Raven Cross. There is a companion novel prepared, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a second chapter was released at some point. For now, dear reader, if you like mysticism, vampire hunts, or just good old-fashioned action horror, check out Vampire Slayer. It’s readily available in the stream.
"…good old fashioned action horror..."
