So Vam: Review

24th July 2022

Kurt (Xai) is a teenage boy living in a conservative town where he feels stifled. He’s also being bullied on a regular basis by an ignorant and homophobic group of girls because he’s queer. His best friend, Luanne (Molly Ferguson) does her best to make him feel better, but she doesn’t fully understand what Kurt is going through and it’s starting to feel like Kurt will always be alone.

Then one day he meets Landon (Chris Asimos) who seems to know what Kurt needs and before he knows what’s happening, he’s attacked. Luckily though, he’s rescued by Carly (Emma Bleby) and she says that she’s saved him just in time, but not before he was killed and turned into a vampire. Learning to cope with the change, Kurt starts to realise that his new life may be a blessing rather than a curse and sets out to get revenge on the bullies who tormented him.

So Vam is an Australian vampire horror movie exclusive to Shudder told with a queer and transgender cast and crew. Starting out, the story of a young queer boy living in a backward town is nothing new, but it may also be a good place for a genre vampire movie. It’s just a shame that it never explores its premise deeply enough in the way that something like Ginger Snaps would have done.

The movie also seems to be obsessed with vampire lore and putting this in with the drag performances (which are the best part) it feels like unnecessary padding for a movie that barely lasts over an hour. There’s also the fact that the cast are not very experienced and although they may have worked with director Alice Maio Mackay before, it seems like they’re reciting lines rather than delivering a proper performance.

With a better cast then perhaps this would have helped with the more dramatic and emotional scenes.

Considering that there are very little movies that represent the LGBTQ+ experience, then So Vam may be something to add to the list of growing representation. However, a shlocky vampire movie is so easily forgotten when put up against something like Titane.

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