A Spanish vampire film with fairytale poetry running throughout its arthouse horror running time, Haizea Carneros gives an excellent performance in Shudder’s All The Moons as a young girl trapped in a bomb explosion in a nunnery, during the Carlist Wars in 19th-century Spain. She is brought back to life by Itziar Ituno, a seemingly benevolent angel who, with a band of survivors, stays in the shadows seemingly evading persecution and safety from the warfare.
However, as soon as there is blood around, it becomes evident that she has not saved the little girl by any conventional means: she has made her a vampire. Following an ambush, the surrogate mother and daughter are separated and Carneros runs away, developing resistance to sunlight and is taken in by a farmer, Candido – Josean Bengoetxea – mourning the loss of his daughter. The village soon identifies her as ‘other’ as she pleads to be saved from the demon inside her, leading to repercussions and slow-burn tragedy as her surrogate father and mother try to care for her.
All The Moons is a spin on the classic vampire tale: like Kirsten Dunst’s character in Interview With A Vampire, we witness the true horror of staying a young girl while having vampiric urges moving centre stage. Humanely told, with a real sense of loss and melancholy that straddles wars and a superb central performance from the young Carneros, All The Moons‘ thoughtful horror also benefits from woozy cinematography, shot through with moments of real beauty harnessed by director Legarreta. Not jump-scare shock material, but a meditation on immortality that has real resonance.
Dir: Igor Legarreta (15) (101 mins)
Streaming on Shudder now
words KEIRON SELF