Embrace of the Vampire is a 2013 American erotic horror film directed by Carl Bessai and written by Andrew C. Erin, Alan Mruvka, and Sheldon Roper. A loose remake of the 1995 film of the same name, the film updates the original’s premise with a modern gothic sensibility and a supernatural twist. It was released direct-to-video in the United States on October 15, 2013.
Plot[]
Charlotte Hawthorn (Sharon Hinnendael) is a shy, repressed young woman who enrolls at university after spending her formative years at a strict Catholic school. She arrives on a fencing scholarship and struggles to adapt to her new environment, burdened by personal trauma and the recent death of her mother. Charlotte, who suffers from thalassemia, is dependent on medication and isolates herself from the social world of her peers.
She shares a dorm room with Nicole (Tiio Horn), a confident and sexually liberated student who introduces her to campus life. Charlotte soon takes a job at a local café owned by Chris (Ryan Kennedy), and she catches the attention of Professor Cole (Victor Webster), who teaches both fencing and literature. Charlotte’s fencing rival Eliza (C.C. Sheffield) grows increasingly envious of the attention Cole gives her.
As Charlotte begins experiencing intense erotic dreams and terrifying visions, she is visited by Daciana (Keegan Connor Tracy), a mysterious occult shop owner who tells Charlotte of her hidden destiny as a vampire hunter. Initially dismissive of Daciana's warnings, Charlotte is forced to confront the truth when her friends begin dying under gruesome and supernatural circumstances.
The film gradually reveals that Charlotte is the last in a bloodline of vampire slayers and that the darkness pursuing her is connected to a centuries-old war between good and evil. As her hallucinations blur with reality, Charlotte must embrace her true nature to stop the evil threatening her campus—and herself.
Cast[]
- Sharon Hinnendael as Charlotte Hawthorn
- Tiio Horn as Nicole
- C.C. Sheffield as Eliza
- Chelsea Marie Reist as Sarah Campbell
- Victor Webster as Professor Cole / Stefan
- Robert Moloney as Dr. John Duncan
- Ryan Kennedy as Chris
- Keegan Connor Tracy as Daciana
- Olivia Cheng as Kelly
- Claire Smithies as Sorina
- Sarah Grey as Young Charlotte
Reception[]
Embrace of the Vampire (2013) received largely negative reviews from critics and audiences. The film holds a critic aggregate score of 10% on Rotten Tomatoes.1
In its review, DVD Talk noted that while the film delivers on expected genre elements such as gore, lesbian vampire themes, and nudity, it "wraps up with a serviceable plot line and some style," calling it a straightforward genre entry that meets but does not exceed expectations.2
Bloody Disgusting was more critical, describing the film as "painfully boring" and stating that while the 1995 original possessed a melodramatic allure, the remake fails to engage. The review also criticized the late introduction of Charlotte’s vampire-hunting heritage, arguing it would have improved the film if revealed earlier.3
PopMatters offered a more balanced take, writing:
"Certainly Embrace of the Vampire isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, but it’s hardly an evening at the ballet, either."