The Toronto After Dark Film Festival wrapped up this past Friday, the fest played some of the best genre films from around the world. One film in particular seems poised to become the sleeper hit of the fest: Strigoi, the debut film from director Faye Jackson. An eccentric and extremely black comedy, Strigoi is set against the backdrop of a small town in post-communist Romania. If you’re like me, and you’ve always found something unsettling about small towns or the country, then Strigoi will definitely strike a chord with you.
For all intents and purposes, Strigoi is a movie about vampires; however, don’t expect the typical vampire fare. Never has the term morbid humour been more appropriate for a film. The movie takes the vampire mythos back to basics, to its roots based in Romanian folklore. Strigoi are something between a zombie and a vampire. They are the undead; drinking the blood of the living by night. And, as the film’s protagonist Vlad quickly begins to realize, they’re also your neighbours.
Spoilers to follow.
