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have very little use for a movie that not only fails to
entertain me, but also fails to deliver on its promise. "Embrace the
Darkness" is a softcore sex movie masquerading as an erotic vampire movie;
that aside, it's one heck of a guilty pleasure. The sexual situations (and there
are a lot of them) are quite erotic, but it goes without saying that there is no
resonance to the film's futile attempts at romance.
"Embrace the Darkness" stars the lovely Madison
Clark as Jennifer, a would-be dancer waiting for her big break. Jennifer has a
bad habit (or is it?) of dancing nude in her loft, which besides enticing the
audience, gets Jennifer noticed by vampire Galen (Kevin Spirtas), who
appears at her window one night. Being that the film is taking a stab at
"gothic vampire romance", our vampire is not evil at all, but rather a
tortured soul wandering the wastelands of humanity and time in search of his
perfect love. Or some such nonsense.
Complicating matters for the lovestruck Galen is Miranda
(Angelina High), a female vampire with a voracious appetite for sex, blood, and
oh yes, more sex. Sensing that Galen is being drawn to Jennifer,
and fearing that she may lose her longtime companion (they're vampires, so they
don't age), Miranda sets out to ruin things the only way she knows how -- with
twice the sex and blood! What's a brooding vampire like Galen to do in such a
situation? I'm sure it doesn't involve sleeping with Miranda and Jennifer, then
stalking Jennifer's cop boyfriend. Wait, let me take that back. Galen does
end up doing all those things!
Whatever you may think about the dripping puddle that makes
up the plot of "Embrace the Darkness" (the premise, incidentally, is
the cornerstone of all "gothic vampire love stories", including the
ill-conceived Anne Rice movie "Queen
of the Damned"), there is no denying that director Kelley Cauthen knows
what his audience wants, and gives it to them again and again.
"Darkness" is a low-budget production with minimal locations, but that
matters very little when the movie is all about sex, which this one is.
"Embrace the Darkness" is drowning in sexuality.
Madison Clark is a stunning woman and lights up the screen with a terrific smile
(not to mention a fetching figure). Angelina High, as the vengeful she-vampire,
can't possibly hope to reach Clark's physical level, although she does come
close during a passionate bi-sexual encounter with her co-star against (of all
things) a chain link fence! As the brooding vampire with a penchant for pounding
on piano keys, Kevin Spirtas is appropriately handsome and -- well, that's about
it.
There's very little reason to watch "Darkness"
unless one enjoys this type of film. It's no great wonder, the story is
atrociously bad (and familiar), and the topic of talent by all involved is
better left untouched. Then again, if you thought a film called "Embrace
the Darkness" was anything other than softcore porn, you have either been
living in a cave or don't have Cinemax After Dark.
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