Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person ★★★★

Released: TBC (UK)

Director: Ariane Louis-Seize

Starring: Sara Montpetit

Review By: Rebecca Johnson

Vampires have been a staple of the horror genre since Nosferatu released back in 1922. Even though they’ve had a steady run since, featuring in many popular franchises including Fright Night, Underworld and The Lost Boys, we did see a steep decline in truly scary ones for a while. Twilight took a whole generation by storm in the late 2000’s, keeping many of us in a sparkly chokehold for half a decade. Though it certainly helped keep the bloodsucking beasts relevant, horror fans have been craving their re-entry into the genre for years. With the release of Abigail this year and Robert Eggers’ new rendition of Nosferatu arriving in December, it looks like they’re swiftly making a comeback. One that seems to be floating just under the radar is French-Canadian film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person – a film daring to blend all of the above elements together. With a strong coming-of-age storyline at its heart, laugh-out-loud comedy and plenty of blood spilled, Humanist Vampire is a fun, endearing humour/horror hybrid that’s one of the most unique of the year.

The plot centres on Sasha, a teen vampire with a serious problem: she’s too sensitive to kill. When her parents cut off her blood supply, her life is in jeopardy. Luckily she meets Paul, a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies willing to give his life to save hers. However, their friendly agreement soon becomes a nocturnal quest to fulfil Paul’s last wishes before day breaks, with a bond forming between the pair as the night goes on.

Though Sasha is a vampire, her story is one many can all relate to – she doesn’t know who she wants to be. Forced into something she doesn’t fully connect with or want to carry out due to her sensitive nature, Sasha’s struggles are not too far removed from usual teenage fare. Sure, she may have a tummy rumbling for human blood and a pair of fangs that come out at inappropriate times, but really, she’s just like us; a girl growing up in a tough world who can’t seem to fit in. We’ve seen coming-of-age stories involving vampires before, and the beats are fairly familiar, but that doesn’t mean the story at play here is a bad one. It’s easily digestible, character driven with the perfect amount of development to help us journey alongside Sasha. Furthermore, Humanist Vampire has enough personality of its own within the script to help it stand out. The comedy is consistently quirky, with a dark edge to it that is cheekily indulgent and off kilter. It seamlessly blends the drama with the dark humour, creating a likable story that feels both surprisingly unique and playfully familiar. The jokes land, and the drama has weight to it.

Bringing Sasha to life in a performance that undoubtedly puts her on the map is Sara Montpetit. Most known for her role in Maria Chapdelaine as the titular character, a role that won her the Prix Iris for Revelation of the Year at the 24th Quebec Cinema Awards back in 2022, Montpetit continues her hot streak. Sasha is a complex individual with a shy, unconfident and withdrawn nature, and Montpetit understands this. Giving a layered performance that surprises throughout whenever she bares her teeth, Montpetit manages to deliver both a strong and understated turn that’s bound to impress. Starring opposite as the ‘Consenting Suicidal Person’ Paul is Felix-Antoine Benard, who is a great match for talent. Similarly to Sasha, Paul is particularly shy, often being used as the punching bag in his daily life meaning he’s mostly given up. We first meet Paul as he deliberates jumping from a building, but is immediately taken aback by Sasha as he spots her watching him. From then, the most organic and natural bond is formed between the pair, making for some delightful onscreen chemistry. Despite neither of them particularly having a way with words or talent for dealing with their emotions, most of their unconventional partnership is left unsaid, relying on body language, facial expressions and gestures to tell the audience how they feel about one another. With plenty of sweet moments between the pair, the friendship/romance is explored very well, which is mostly down to the two terrific performances delivered.

In terms of the horror, Humanist Vampire plays things quite safe. The focus of the story is mostly on the comedy drama side of things, with the horror taking a back burner for large portions. That being said, when the horror does arrive in the shape of blood-sucking gore, it works a treat and will hopefully be enough to tide gore-hounds over until the next nightmarish sequence. Sasha may not be prone to killing but her family certainly are, especially her older cousin who isn’t afraid to let rip out in the open when the time comes. Sasha sustains her diet through use of blood bags, and even the slurping scenes can cause enough discomfort to make you grimace. It may not be the scariest release of the year, which may end up disappointing some, but Humanist Vampire more than makes up for this with its storyline.

Humanist Vampire is a unique genre blend that we don’t receive often in cinema. Seamlessly combining comedy, horror, drama and coming-of-age and elevating them with excellent performances, quirky dialogue, stomach-churning gore and plenty of character development, it is a triumph. The technical elements are on point too, with the dark colour palette complimenting the darkness within the script perfectly, beautiful cinematography that creates many a memorable frame and a swift, and a gorgeous score that is very prominent and plays behind the entire movie.  The succinct 90-minute run-time also helps, with a story that avoids feeling aimless. The plot beats are often familiar, which is a surprise given its unique approach, and the horror is less frequent that anticipated. But with many laughs, a relatable arc within our lead character and a fantastical vibe that draws you in from the outset, it’s easily forgivable.