Whether you’ve been following my reviews for a long time or just newly coming to them: I passionately love horror. I couldn’t tell you what it is in particular about the genre that I adore, but it has my heart. Honestly, it would be easier for me to tell you things that I despise about the genre over my reasons of affection. That’s kind of sad, right? The two biggest subgenres that I can’t really stand are zombies and vampires. By this point in horror history, both of these subgenres have become mainstream money machines. They’ve lost the guts of what made them so revolutionary in the first place. Zombies have been overrun, pun intended, by The Walking Dead television universe, a string of crappy b-movies based on the concept, and the merchandise empire with their undead faces on it. Sure, I’ll always revere the classics like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, the properties that paved the way for what we have today.

Vampires, on the other hand, I’m a bit more inclined to show some grace... with the hard exception of Twilight. Something about sparkling vampires doesn’t sit well with me. It seems like a satire of Dracula. More recently, I’ve been digging my teeth into some of the classics that revolve around vampires. I picked up a copy of Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, which may manifest into an episode down the line. I’m also working my way through Bram Stoker’s Dracula on audiobook as well. The vampire craze seems to be dying down, with the exception of Midnight Sun. It’s too early to know for sure if we’re gonna see a resurgence. I’m grateful for filmmakers who are still keeping the subgenre alive. I always love to be proven wrong by catching a good vampire or zombie flick.

I was grateful for the vision of Frank Sabatella, the writer-director behind the vampire film The Shed. The film tells the story of Stanley (Jay Jay Warren), an angsty orphan, who finds out that a vampire (Frank Whaley) has turned his shed into a home. Stanley is now left to deal with the fallout of the situation of the undead neighbor. While the film starts off fairly quickly paced, it fizzles out to a slow crawl within the first ten minutes or so. Sabatella does an admirable job at bringing us into the world of Stanley, an orphan who now lives with his abusive grandfather, bullied best friend, his own bullies, and the girl whose heart he can never quite win. This is the world that makes Stanley. As fractured as he might be, he still holds true to his humanity. Warren is the star of the film, there is no doubt about it. He shines in the leading role as he walks the line between damaged and savior.

Both the pacing of the film and the practical effects set the bar fairly high for The Shed. The vampires of the movie host a nostalgic vibe, throwing it back to the vampires of Salem’s Lot. Stephen King would be truly proud. The narrative has enticing qualities about it, but it never really uses them to their strengths until the last act. The first two acts, aside from vampire tales, feel hollow. In the set-up for Warren’s character, viewers are welcomed into the fact that he is a victim of bullying. He’s led a tragic life, okay. That bullying threat to both Warren and his best friend, Dommer (Cody Kostro) is a continuous mystery. Neither the bullies or Kostro bring anything to the narrative at large - so why should we care about these characters? It feels like Sabatella didn’t actually have enough material to make a full length and decided to expand the bully thread to meet runtime. It’s honestly a waste of screen time. These elements also divert the film into its more campy elements. For the most part, The Shed is home to a fairly grounded tone. That is, until these elements rear their ugly face in the mix. 

Overall, The Shed is an entertaining entry into the vampire subgenre. It is home to a terrific performance from Jay Jay Warren, beautiful practical effects, and a decent narrative. However, that narrative never reaches the potential it could. Vampires aren’t the only thing suffering in The Shed. What starts off as character development later manifests into a vacant subplot with much of its core cast. The Shed does an incredible job at establishing an adequate grounded tone; it falls short with its campier moments. In the end, The Shed is mixed but entertaining.

RORSCHACH RATING:

If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!

Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by), Caless Davis, Dan Rockwood, & Brandon Miller. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. This post was edited by Cam Smith. The Shed is property of RLJE Films and Shudder. We do not own nor claim any rights. The Shed is streaming exclusively on Shudder beginning August 28th, 2020.

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