Joshua is being chased by someone in a motor home. When he crashes into Ariel, she tries to help him, only to find out what is chasing them is a Vampire…

The opening of this film features a topless man running into a cinema where he tries to hide from what is chasing him. It promises a lot, a mystery, a thriller/horror and some great little moments of humour. Even the title, There’s No Such Thing As Vampires, adds to this, as lets face it, if you tell people a Vampire is chasing you, it’s highly doubtful anyone will believe it. Until it’s too late!

It’s a shame then the film doesn’t live up to this. That’s not to say it is a bad film. There is some good things in here too. Co-writers Logan Thomas and Aric Cushing have taken many influences and incorporated them into what is pursuit film. The score by Thomas is clearly influenced by John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream and Brad Fiedel to name three. The look of the film definitely has a throwback to the eighties feel to it. There are also aspects of James Cameron’s The Terminator (a scene in a police station owes a huge debt to Cameron’s film) in the relentless pursuit going on. Crucially, like Neil Marshall’s Doomsday, the script here drops these influences in without battering you over the head about them.

The film is definitely at its best when it keeps the pace and chase going. Because when it slows down, sadly there is little else going on.

One of the influences the Logan Thomas (who directs too) cites was Mad Max. But unlike Mad Max and the other films the story touches, when it comes to explain what is going on, you discover, there’s a lot of contrivance going on. Also, the film’s momentum almost grinds to a halt at this point. It’s not helped when Joshua and Ariel reach the home of a friend, it turns out the friend teaches film. How do we know this? Because we then get a few minutes of him talking film. It’s the sort of scene in a film that annoys me and it did here too. But that said, I do think Thomas directs the film well.

The performances from the two leads, Emma Holzer as Ariel and Josh Plasse as Joshua are okay,while Ariel Cushing plays the Vampire chasing them and there’s a small role for actress Meg Foster as a Nun.

The ending of the film does feel slightly anti-climatic, the very end a nod to The Terminator again, but there may be a reason for that. Logan Thomas suggested in the post-film interview of the story being continued, perhaps in a TV series.

Despite the flaws I thought the film was enjoyable, certainly at its best, as said when it keeps the momentum going.

A flawed film then, but certainly watchable.

Rating: *** out of 5