Sommerleigh Pollonais – Horror Head Writer
DAY 21
Movie: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Plot: In the Iranian ghost town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.
Review: I’ve wanted to watch this movie ever since it came out in 2014, but never got around to it, so I was delighted to see it was the highest-rated horror flick that year and warranted adding to my 31 Days of Horror.
Written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, the story follows our James Dean-like lead, Arash (Arash Marandi from Terhan/Under the Shadow), as he struggles to make something of himself. But he is constantly pulled down by his father’s addiction and the lack of opportunities in his desolate home town of Bad City. But a town filled with lost souls makes the perfect hunting grounds for our antagonist, simply known as The Girl (Sheila Vand from Snowpiercer/Argo). She’s a vampire you see, but she’s not all monster, as she targets the ones she deems “bad” and protects those whom she finds an interest in. Luckily for Arash, The Girl finds him very interesting.
This is a movie filled with dichotomy. The visuals are black and white, yet the cinematography is very modern. The movie was shot in LA, but is meant to be an Iranian town. And the story told is akin to American films, but everyone speaks in their native Iranian tongue. It’s a beautiful mix of old and new and at its heart, and is a love story akin to Nosferatu and Bram Stoker’s Dracula with a western vibe similar to one of my favorite vampire movies, Near Dark.
A Girl Walks Home is very much an arthouse film, and because of this, mainstream audiences may find it lacking bite (pun intended). Personally, I found this to be worthy of all the praise and awards it earned. Modern-day vampire films tend to be at their very best when they focus on the loneliness and disconnect immortality can bring, and the importance of connecting with others. Let The Right One In, Only Lovers Left Alive, and even Interview with the Vampire stand taller than the rest because of this. And as far as I’m concerned, this Girl Who Walks Home Alone at Night, rightfully stands with them.
Sommer’s Score: 8 out of 10
For part 20 of 31 Days of Horror and my review of The Conjuring you can click here. And for more than 100 horror movie reviews and lists you can check out the RMR horror section here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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