2022 SCREAMFEST REVIEW!
A lone traveler, Marquise D’Urfe (Dan Beirne), travels the snowy roads of eighteenth-century Serbia. As he wonders, seemingly lost, he comes across a family struggling with the fact that their patriarch is missing. When the patriarch returns, however, he is not as he seems–and he is far more beast-like than they are used to. Family of Vurdulak sees this newcomer working alongside this family as they try to defend themselves against the terrifying Gorcha (Adrian Egan).
The key to this animated film is, well…animation. The animation present throughout Family of Vurdulak reminds me of the short films that I may have seen in history classes back in middle school in the late 1990’s. The animation is rough, but that helps to transport viewers to a specific place in time–and it works well in doing so. As viewers travel through the short narrative with Marquise, those rough images work as intended, and it constantly reminds viewers that this story takes place long ago–before the amenities of today. That in itself creates a level of suspense that transcends the entirety of Family of Vurdulak, and it keeps viewers on their toes. This subtle change in the animation, something that could have been easily overlooked, plays such a pivotal role in Family of Vurdulak, and it pays dividends throughout.
There’s always this sense of unease present in the film, but it builds ever so slowly from the opening, and it’s on a clear path toward eventually exploding. Like a gentle incline, the intensity slowly rises, and it never relents, never takes a break, but rather it constantly nags at viewers–and they know something is coming. Even in the moments of cheesy comedy strategically placed throughout Family of Vurdulak, the intensity remains most prominent. I laughed out loud numerous times, but I was immediately grounded by the next step toward insanity. The further the film moves along its trajectory, the stronger the sound effects, the score, the darkness–and they all play on one another to create this perfectly intense spectacle of family and vampire werewolves.
The voice acting plays a unique role in Family of Vurdulak. Taking place in another country, the story is expected to be told in a language relative to that area of the world–that’s not the case here. Everything is spoken in English, which works well for those English-speaking viewers–but it can cause a level of disconnect between the content and the information being expressed. The strong accents make a connection to the culture and the information being presented to viewers, and that allows them to better understand all that occurs throughout Family of Vurdulak.
Family of Vurdulak is well structured, and paced effectively. Director Samuel Chou only has a little bit of time to develop this story and bring it to a close–and in the time he’s given he provides viewers with a plethora of information. Chou does a great job of spreading out information so as not to overwhelm viewers, yet he still provides enough information in order for the film to make sense and reach viewers emotionally. Family of Vurdulak is beautifully constructed in this regard, and it allows the entirety of the film to flow smoothly from beginning to end.
Animated films tend to be hit or miss for me–as there are so many moving parts that either work well together or fail to marry together appropriately. Family of Vurdulak is the former for sure, and it instantly transports viewers to a far away land, a long time ago. It instills fear and a plethora of other emotions in its viewers, but what’s most impressive is that it tells a compelling, entertaining story.
Directed by Samuel Chou.
Written by Ellery Van Dooyeweert.
Starring Dan Beirne, George Tchortov, Michelle Monteith, Gwynne Phillips, Adrian Egan, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
