Thank god we’re all stuck inside because vampires lurk in every city. A collaboration between 10-14-86, Damn Fine Productions, Cinephreak Pictures and Broken Shadow Entertainment, Morbid Colors is the tragic, thrilling and dramatic story of two foster sisters who are forced to track down a wealthy socialite they believe infected the elder sibling with the vampire disease. It’s not an easy hunt, but they’re not out for the socialite’s money… they’re out for revenge. A rough, rock and roll ball-buster with supernatural elements, Kara Gray, Lanae Hyneman, Angela Steele, Emily Durchholz, Sidney Shripka, Jonathon Beavers and Drew Beasely star in the soon-to-be released film from writer/director Matthew Packman, most recognized for his short project Husk.
Morbid Colors portrays vampires just the way I love to see them. Although the monsters are used very sparingly in this title, they’re more than blood thirsty fiends hiding in the dark. They’re cold and calculated and ever so slightly sexualized. They’re cunning adversaries for our two leading ladies in a world that’s already ripe with friction. The vampires are the perfect villains for the world put to screen by writer/director Matthew Packman and his team of producers including Gray, Hyneman, Jakob Bilinski and Tye Wilson. The atmosphere is very reminiscent to Lost Boys and its direct-to-DVD sequels, and yet it feels like something that would have lined DVD shelves in the early 2000’s. Leather jackets, sun glasses, attitude, alcohol, blood, tattoos, guns, rock and roll – Morbid Colors is a whole mood. It’s grungy!
Morbid Colors was also produced and edited by Matthew Packman, and I have little qualms with his second feature length film in terms of principal photography and post-production edits. The style and clearness of the picture quality was on point for a movie whose characters are nearly depressed and being pushed to the brink. While I thoroughly enjoyed most shots and thought, “wow, that’s a moment,” as seen with one sister walking down a road and the girls together in a field, there were a few interior scenes that needed a little more work. My other complaint is that Morbid Colors needed more background music during pivotal or intense moments, and not just the occasional rock and roll track for effect. Keep the momentum going, film-makers, and one way to do that is with scoring!
For an independent flick of this caliber, Morbid Colors completely blew away my expectations. With an incredibly talented cast lead by two incredibly powerful women, Morbid Colors is a gritty and emotionally daunting crime narrative that sees women as the hunters instead of the prey. It’s a sophisticated yet unlaundered look at complacent stillness, blame and revenge, and the bonds we cherish versus the bonds we break. I certainly was not expecting so many themes wound tightly into a post-punk vampire movie! When the COVID-19 virus is over and festivals start getting back into gear, expect to see this title at a venue near you! It’s a nostalgic and cinematic freakshow where outcasts evolve into badass mother fuckers with an axe to grind.
Final Score: 9 out of 10.
