Oct 091973
 
three reels

Innocent Lila (Cheryl Smith), raised by the local preacher (Richard Blackburn), receives a letter stating that her gangster father is dying and wants to see her to gain her forgiveness, but she must come alone. The letter was actually composed by Lemora (Lesley Gilb), a vampire, who controls the town of Asteroth and is holding Lila’s father. The journey will force Lila to confront lewd ticket-takers, offensive bums, forest undead, and her own desires.

Very European in flavor, Lemora is less a horror film, and more a dark fantasy. It’s a dreamlike fairy tale. Little Red Riding Hood, in all her childhood glory, goes to grandmother’s house and meets a lot of wolves, sometimes as lecherous mortals, sometimes as raving zombies, and sometimes as stimulating vampires.  It becomes clear that in the world of temptation, depravity, and human weakness, Lemora may be the best thing going. Innocence is not a fine quality to keep.  Lila’s journey is her sexual and sensual awakening.

Don’t look for that “sexual awakening” to produce any graphic nudity.  This is a PG movie. Much has been made of the lesbianism in the “bathing scene,” but that’s usually from people who haven’t seen it; metaphor is all you’ll find in Lemora.

Writer/Director Richard Blackburn claims the movie is about repression.  Critics say it’s about the loss of innocence.  The statements are close, but Blackburn was going for more of a triumphant realization, not a sad bow to reality.  He comes close.

There’s a lot to like about Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural.  It has a strong mood, an unusual setting for a vampire film (southern United States of the 1930s), and a stunning lead in Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith (who went into exploitation flicks and died at age 47).  It isn’t just another vampire film, but something unusual.

However, the low budget drags in down.  A few more dollars on makeup effects would have helped, but the real problem is the need for professionals at the top, and the money wasn’t there to hire them.  Blackburn, directing his first and only feature, does his best with this labor of love, but lacks the skill to make the film sing.  The pacing is uneven, and the picture has a flat, video feel.  Camera angles vary from dull to unnecessary.  He needed to retain a fight choreographer (along with a DP who knew how to film a fight) as Blackburn was forced to change the ending in postproduction because his climatic battle looked silly.  More money might have allowed Blackburn to fix the sound; there are numerous times when the looped dialog doesn’t synch with the actor’s lips. For low budget fare, this is OK, but it needed to have a real budget.

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