• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Film Premise for Vampire Flick

F

Fudoushin_no_Jedai

Here is the film premise for an idea I'm working on developing. I feel it might have some potential, but I'd like to get opinions from you all and any helpful pointers. It is a modern-day, re-vamped (pardon the pun) retelling of Dracula's origins... I felt DRACULA UNTOLD and THE STRAIN were pretty darn lazy.

Vladimir Dracul is a physician-turned-vampire working on a cure for his curse. When tasked by the Vampire Sterilization Unit to infiltrate a vampire breeding ring, he stumbles upon the doppelganger of a long lost lover... who has just been bitten. Knowing VSU policy is to nix any vampiress, he chooses to spare her in the hopes of redeeming past mistakes. But Abram Helsing, head of VSU, learns of Vladimir's deception and dispatches agents to take both of them out. Now a target, Vladimir must find a way to finish the mission, cure the girl and himself, and outsmart their hunters. In the end, he learns the price he will have to pay to maintain humanity among monstrosity.

Think INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE and elements of THE STRAIN meets BATMAN BEGINS crossed with BOURNE IDENTITY.

Other characters include:

- Dr. Frankenstein (who is a woman in this version and a friend of Vladimir's)
- Stewart "Wolfman" Talbot (assassin recruited by VSU)
- Codename "Resurrexit" (reanimated corpse of Dr. Frankenstein's husband -- dispatched by Helsing to assassinate Vladimir)
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Sounds like a fun romp. A little like "I Frankenstein" but the themes pop up in lots of films. It also has parts of the "Blade" films. It will all be about how well you create a believable world, like "Underworld" series. In this piece, the hardest part will be character development. Since you are referencing existing creatures, you often run up against viewer expectations. That doesn't mean you can't overcome them, though you need to really focus on creating believable characters who stand out on their own.

You may want to stay away from suggesting is a re-telling of Dracula's origins. It sets up specific expectations in the viewer. I read your "modern-day, re-vamped (pardon the pun) retelling of Dracula's origins..." and then your description and felt confused and let down. It is more a re-imagining. However since he's a vampire, his position on the VSU seems rather contradictory. As a lover of the classical monster horror genre, these elements would distract me from your story. Not that your story is bad but I would be critiquing inside how this is nothing how Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman or others would act. In writing this, you will want to take extra care to make sure it makes sense why Dracula, as a vampire, is working to kill vampires. This would work well for a manga but I'm not sure it would translate well to the screen where viewers are more critical. Just as the new Star Trek is judged against the older series. The new Star Wars face similar critical tests.

It takes a careful development of the characters to make them acceptable to the audience and believable in your story world. It sounds promising. If I were writing or watching, that is where my major attention would be focused. The plot elements are fairly common bits. That's not bad, it's more about how you develop them in your story. Good luck.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top