Open Minds Required
Seduction Cinema is a small studio that specialize mainly in softcore lesbian porn parodies of popular films, such as Playmate of the Apes (a riff on Tim Burton's retelling of the sci-fi masterwork), Gladiator Eroticus (a spoof of Russel Crow's award-winning turn in Gladiator) and Erotic Survivor (a no-holds-barred rip on the popular TV show Survivor). Vampire Obsession represents a departure from that trend, and while its artistic ambitions make it both interesting and genre-defying, it's appeal will probably be limited.

First, let's drop pretention and call a duck a duck: Vampire Obsession is little more than an exercise in looking at atractive naked women in various compromising positions. There is no explicit action; in order to avoid an X rating, the sex is all simulated. There is little plot and less script, and the sound levels are low, so make sure to mute before powering down your VCR or you may blow your speakers. And the box is misleading; as other reviewers have pointed out, the girls' fangs exist on the cover only, and nowhere in the film do we get any depictions of what we traditionally think of as vampires.

That said, there are some intresting attempts at art here that raise the film above the level of gutter T&A. The first is what are, for a direct-to-vid softcore porn flick, some fairly complex and challenging relationships. Darian Craine in particular is over the top but fascinating as an obsessive woman who literally loses her mind when her prostitute girlfriend Wendy/Trixie (played by a pre-implant Anoushka) winds up staying out for a week with the mysterious blood-craving Jade DuBois. Jade is downright sinister as a normal-seeming (if sexually overactive) lesbian with a curious kink: she kills her lovers and drinks their blood at the culmination of her passion.

The one thing Vampire Obsession really has going for it is a disjointed, enigmatic quality; we're never clear of Jade is human or something other, since her methods of blood letting (a kitchen knife) and appearence are human enough, but her utter thirst -- dare I say obsession -- for blood does not seem natural. And while none of the acting is Oscar-worthy, Anoushka does an excellent job portraying a woman who is forced to come to terms with a bizarre and confusing situation, and ultimately loses her own sanity in the process. Given the source, I'm almost tempted to ascribe this film as a tribute to the early 80s cult classic The Hunger, which also featured vampires who needed knives and other external tools to get at the precious fluids.

Unfortunately, the subtlty of these performances is likely to be lost on the target audience for this film: college-age males making an impulse purchase at Suncoast while picking up the latest Girls Gone Wild for their frat party. This one won't please the vampire fans either, because there are no fangs, no gothic costumes and makeup, no shadowy mood-lighting (though the use of intensely bright light in this film is particularly eye-catching). And as stated above, if you're looking for hardcore lesbian porn, look elsewhere. But that said...if you're a fan of direct-to-video T&A and you're looking for something a little deeper than the norm, definitely give this one a look.

vampire obsession
I watched this movie last night and cannot understand why the title is Vampire Obsession! The cover of the box shows a beautiful woman with a nice pair of fangs, but in the movie there is none whatsoever. I mean, when I see the word Vampire in a film title I expect to see some teeth, instead I am treated to a soft core X rated film about lesbians who seem to get in on whenever they can (not that I am complaining, the scenes were pretty good, though it could have been a bit more explicit), but instead of biting their victims, they use a household kitchen knife to cut someone open and drink their blood. There are so many holes in this movie I dont know where to begin, the obsessive roommate who loses it, what is that all about?? The supposed vampire who goes out in daylight, does not have supernatural strength and wears a large cross?? This movie was not about vampires, it was about women who get into drinking blood and killing their victims after sex. Overall I was very disapointed, if you are going to make a Vampire movie, then stick with the genre, dont try to make it something else. I liked the sensuality and the lovemaking, but the movie is ruined by the way they obtain blood in my opinion. Wait until it comes out on... rentals....