sufficiently thoughtful to be appreciated without reference to the franchise that horror fans love to hate. Still, the comparison must be made if only to reassure those who almost stopped read- ing at the phrase “vampire love story.” That’s be- cause Leberecht largely manages to redeem the hybrid subgenre in question, reminding us that the poignant and the visceral can not only co- exist, but actually complement each other. The vampiric theme of uncontrolled desire,
ATM: Will these two cash out early?
Raven) after an office Christmas party. David’s at- tempt at a little blonde-on-blonde action is thwarted, however, by loveable asshole Corey (Josh Peck), who not only demands a ride home but has the gang stop off at a secluded ATM booth in a sleepy suburban area. The minor detour turns devastating when a parka-clad madman shows up and terrorizes the three yuppies from outside the booth, sabotaging their con- nection to the outside world, as they quiver in the sanctuary of the ATM enclosure for fear of confronting this nightmarish Nanook of the North. A notch on the belt of claustrophobic hor-
rors, ATM is another example of a modern con- venience being bled for terror, just as Devil did for elevators, Pulse and One Missed Call did for mo- bile phones and Phone Booth did for, uh, phone booths. Sure, the cookie-cutter plot hits all the ex- pected notes like a pop song that rings familiar the first time you hear it, but that doesn’t make it
any less memorable. ATM moves at a steady clip, it’s well written and executed, and there’s fun in knowing what happens next and watching how that will play out, albeit with some original touches. The Blu-ray and DVD are pretty bare
bones, and include both the theatrical and director’s cut; the only difference between the two seems to be a few added minutes at the beginning of the former, which hints at the ending’s over-explained re- veal. So, let me cash in on a few more puns:
despite its taxing elements, ATM is still a relatively rich film considering its portfo- lio, but not really worth a long-term in- vestment. Cha-ching!
PATRICK DOLAN YA GOT HEART, KID
MIDNIGHT SON Starring Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish and Jo D. Jonz
Written and directed by Scott Leberecht Image
Call it the anti-Twilight. On second thought, don’t: Scott Leberecht’s vampire love story is
frequently played out as “addiction,” has cer- tainly been done before. Leberecht’s achieve- ment, however, is notable because for much of its runtime Midnight Son makes you feel that you’re simply watching a sensitive indie charac- ter study – until the lead does something like abruptly vomiting blood. In the title role, Zak Kil- berg does some nice, understated work as an average Joe who starts exhibiting an array of weird symptoms, the kind any of us would be ashamed to ’fess up to. As the film starts, he’s already working as a night-shift security guard to avoid the nastiness of what sunlight does to his skin, and things es- calate from there as he must satiate his need for blood while keeping his secret from his new squeeze (Maya Parish). Initially intriguing,
the story eventually devolves into the typi- cal rhythms of a movie romance – misunder- standings, apologies, quasi-breakups, rec- onciliations, etc. That Zak’s vampirism pro-
vides the fuel for much of this drama is engag- ing, but what happens within the context of the romance itself is not terribly original, and the character is often reduced to tiresome puppy dog expressions. As if making up for lost time, the tone shifts radically in the final twenty min- utes, as Leberecht introduces some neat com- plications and surprises. Two antagonists who have appeared inconsistently throughout, a homicide cop and a kind of blood “dealer” (an effective Jo D. Jonz), suddenly have our anti- hero on the ropes.