Kiss of the Damned (2012) – Film Review

Dark and erotic, Kiss of the Damned is an American horror film about a screenwriter who falls in love with a female vampire and doesn’t hesitate to do what it takes so they can be together. However, their life soon becomes unnecessarily complicated when her sister comes on the scene and starts feeding indiscriminately, threatening to draw attention to the city’s entire vampire population.

The film begins by introducing Djuna (Josephine de La Baume), a sultry and sophisticated vampire who lives alone in a large mansion that belongs to one of her friends and serves as a vampire safehouse. Djuna lives a somewhat reclusive lifestyle and appears to enjoy watching old, black-and-white romance films, suggesting she is lonely and craving the company of somebody special.

There is no crypt in the property or any need for one. The vampires in Kiss of the Damned sleep in beds, not coffins but, as per traditional vampire lore, they need to avoid sunlight.

The safehouse comes complete with a housekeeper. Her name is Irene (Ching Valdes-Aran) and, like her mother before her, she suffers from a rare blood disease that makes her unappetizing to vampires. Irene is very loyal, making her the perfect choice for vampires who require someone to watch over them while they are sleeping.

When Djuna goes to the video rental store to return her last batch of films, screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia) is also in the store, their eyes meet over the rows of shelves and, after staring longingly at him for a few seconds, Djuna flees the store. However, the rain is coming down so hard that she stops outside the door, reluctant to venture further. Paolo follows her out, makes some brief small talk about the weather and in no time at all the two of them are getting to know each other over drinks at a bar, after which they return to Duja’s home and watch films together.

However, as they become intimate and their passions overflow, Djua pushes Paolo away, telling him to leave. Paolo obliges but can’t get the exotic beauty out of his head so, after several unsuccessful attempts to contact Duja by phone, he turns up at her house. Duja refuses to let him in but with emotions running high, they end up kissing through the gap in the door, which is still on its chain. When Duja loses control, she bites Paolo’s lip resulting in her sending him away again.

On his next visit, Duja lets Paolo in and tells him she is a vampire. Even when he fails to find a pulse on her neck, Paolo still argues vampires don’t exist. This results in Duja taking a very unusual course of action—she gets him to chain her to the bed and begin making love to her so he can witness what happens when she loses control. It’s quite an erotic scene but when Paolo sees Duja is telling him the truth, instead of fleeing, he frees her from her shackles and climbs back into bed, saying to her let’s make love. They do and, afterwards, Paolo is a changed man.

Kiss of the Damned is not a typical vampire film. The focus is on Duja and Paolo’s romance and his subsequent introduction into vampire society. As well as becoming his life partner, Duja becomes Paolo’s teacher, telling him she will teach him everything she knows. The scenes where Duja helps Paolo adjust to his new life are very nicely done. The cinematography and acting are first-rate and the choice of background music works well for their situation.

Duja and the rest of the civilised vampire population feed on animals and synthetic blood, making them similar to the Cohen family in the Twilight films or the vampires in the popular TV series Trueblood, which was in its 6th season at the time of the film’s release, suggesting it may have been an influencing factor.

Unfortunately, it’s not long before trouble comes knocking at the door. Duja has just accompanied Paolo on his first kill, a deer, when her sister Mimi (Roxanne Mesquida) arrives unannounced. Dressed all in black and oozing attitude, everything about her spells badass and Duja is not pleased to see her, telling Paolo she is a terrible creature.

Duja is right about her sister and subsequent scenes prove it. Mimi has zero morals or scruples and will do anything to get what she wants, including avoiding her upcoming stint in vampire rehab.

Given the subject matter, you may not be surprised to learn, Kiss of the Damned contains scenes of bloodshed and messy eating. The scenes are not too over-the-top but they are convincingly done and may be too realistic for overly squeamish viewers. However, if your normal movie night choices regularly include slasher films, you may find Kiss of the Damned is tame by comparison.

With a runtime of just over 1 hr 37 minutes, Kiss of the Damned is not long enough to drag or become boring and is a great choice for anyone willing to go with the concept that not all vampires are bad and likes a good well-rounded story. It may be a particularly good option for fans of Twilight but is, admittedly, a little more hardcore.