Main cast: Harry Giubileo (Jim McLeod), Ivan du Pontavice (Louis), Johnny Vivash (Francois), Jay O’Connell (Robert), David Lenik (Hans), and Howard Davey (Clegg)
Director: William Stead
Charlie Steeds, the maestro behind Dark Temple Productions, is a man of many hats… or should I say, many fangs. He’s the writer, director, cinematographer, and probably the guy holding the boom mic in his spare time.
It’s no exaggeration to say he’s single-handedly keeping the UK horror film industry alive, like a vampire sucking the life out of every genre trope. But let’s give credit where it’s due—Mr Steeds’s films, while often predictable and formulaic, are at least watchable. This is more than you can say about The Asylum’s latest CGI sharknado or Troma’s latest… whatever Troma does.
Enter Children of the Night, directed by William Snead, whose name is so similar to Charlie Steeds, I’m convinced they’re the same person wearing a fake mustache.
The film opens with a World War II trench battle, which is supposed to be gritty and intense but instead looks like a high school history class reenactment. The trenches resemble someone’s backyard. The uniforms are freshly pressed, likely straight from the props department with the tags still attached. The soldiers are cleaner than a bar of soap in a nun’s convent. Suffice it to say, any hopes of taking this seriously were buried in that very same backyard trench.
The story follows Jim and Robert, two soldiers who survive the “battle” and find refuge with a grouchy French farmer and his son, Louis. Oh, and there are vampires lurking about, because why not? But the real threat here isn’t the vampires; it’s the syrupy romance between Jim and Louis. Their courtship is so sweet, you’ll be checking your blood sugar levels before the credits roll.
Now, let’s talk about the horror. The vampires look like extras who raided the clearance rack at Spirit Halloween. The cinematography… let’s just say “creepy atmosphere” wasn’t in the budget. But hey, the pacing is solid, the acting is earnest, and you can tell everyone involved gave it their all, so points for effort!
As for the romance… well, here’s where things get a little weird. Jim and Louis look like they were separated at birth. Same face, same haircut, same “Are we sure we’re not cousins?” vibe. Their frequent shirtless scenes don’t help either. If anything, these scenes just make their resemblance even more unsettling.
In the end, Children of the Night is a film that tries its best to rise above its budgetary constraints. However, setting it during World War II was an ambitious but doomed choice—one that the budget couldn’t quite support. A modern-day setting with two cops investigating vampire sightings would have made more sense, but hey, they made their choices.
Would I recommend this film? Well, it’s a low-budget vampire flick that’s earnest, occasionally entertaining, and just self-aware enough to be enjoyable. If nothing else, it’s proof that even a movie made on a shoestring budget can have a little bite.
