The 2023 Fantasy/Horror film Beneath Us All is a strangely satisfying horror film. Where vikings deliver a vampire to the new world before Columbus stops by. They drop the creature in Maine. It surfaces much later than their timeline, however. Blending Dracula, Stephen King and foster parenting works much better than it has any right to.
Beneath us All Story
A viking vampire earns the ire of a clan who remove the monster to the new world. Centuries later, a teenager under foster care wakes the bloodsucker. Things get bloody.
The Cast
Sean Whalen is Todd Gibbs.
Angelina Danielle Cama is Julie.
Maria Olsen is Maria Gibbs.
Harley Wallen is Detective Donovan Booker.
Kaiti Wallen is Rebecca.
Yan Birch is Frey.
Malachi Myles is Stephen.
Shelby Bradley is Mikaela Campbell.
Let’s Talk Beneath Us All
Wallen takes the screenplay by Bret Miller and takes away any artifice attached to vampiric lore. There are no stakes in the heart. No one identifies the creature and instead of two fangs, we have a whole mouthful.
The story itself is drab and downbeat. A small unlikable foster family are the center of the tale. The Gibbs’ are not evil per se, they are apathetic, self centered and greedy. Despite their expecting praise for helping the “kids” they lack the crucial care factor.
Julie, the 17 year old, is about to leave the foster care nest. The carers are already looking for a replacement. It is all about the money.
Frey, the monster underneath the dirt, calls to his rescuer and introduces her into his world.
It Works
This all works. The marriage of social services and a vampire is a splendid one. Rebecca is not the spiritual twin of Emily Jenkins in 39 Steps but she cares. Despite almost being burnt out, she wants what is best for her charges.
There is no escaping the allegory between bloodsuckers and horrible foster parents. As Julies says to Todd, (sic) “If you adopt them the checks will stop.” Todd replies with a slap to her face. “Now look what you made me do.”
The Gibbs’ are unpleasant and we marvel that Julie has not been irreparably damaged by these two.
Rebecca, on the other hand, is a likable character. She does care and it shows. Even Booker, one step from being a burnout himself, cares. They may not be the Van Helsing of this tale, but they are the good guys.
Beneath Us All FX
The special effects, most likely practical in nature, are impressive. The gore is not overwhelming and the violence is pretty low key. There are not freshets of claret cascading down chins or throats. Quite wisely, there are no shots associated with classic vampire lore. Beneath Us All takes the cloak and dress shoes away from this version of Dracula and it fits.
Kudos to:
Mr Malachi Miles does a splendid job as Stephen, keep an eye on this one. He has a natural presence in front of the camera. Harley Wallen, if he ever decides to leave directing behind, is a more than adequate actor. He also impresses.
His other half, Kaiti is another actress who has a broad range. She is a delight to watch, as is young Ms Cama as Julie.
Hats off to Yan Birch as Frey. His vampire is quite possibly the scariest I have seen in awhile. Low key scary, yes. However, we feel that this monster has never had a shred of humanity in it. Birch fills the creature’s shoes very capably.
Sean Whalen, as usual, rocks in his role as does Maria Olsen. Their double act goes a long way to making this a believable scenario.
The Verdict
Beneath Us All earns a great big 5 stars. This one keeps your interest throughout. It feels like a down and dirty version of Dracula. It also feels like a sort of homage to Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot. Perhaps because it is a modern vampire story set in Maine. The film is streaming on Prime, Tubi and Fawesome. Go and check it out and see if you enjoy it as much as I did.
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