‘Drained’ Review: A Seductively Scary Vampire Romance

What is Drained About?

Drained was directed by Peter Stylianou and Sean Cronin, and it was written by Stylianou. Ruaridh Aldington and Madalina Bellariu Ion star as Thomas and Rhea respectively. Other featured cast members include Angela Dixon, Craig Conway, Andrew Lyle-Pinnock, Timothy Blore, Kenton Lloyd Morgan, Natasha Patel, and Andrew Lee Potts.

Drained Review

Drained is excellent. I was hooked within the first ten minutes. The film is extremely well made and eminently captivating. From the cast, to the script, to the visual aesthetic, Drained is top-notch indie filmmaking.

It starts with the character of Thomas. He’s a “lovable loser” style of character, and if you don’t grow to like him at least a little bit fairly quickly, you might have a hard time with the movie. But Ruaridh Aldington is superb in the role, managing to find the sweet spot between endearing and aggravating. Thomas makes boneheaded mistakes, and our introduction to him isn’t the most appealing, but Ruaridh plays the part so well that he elicits the right amount of sympathy from the audience. Thomas is like a deer in headlights a lot of the time when he’s around Rhea, and we just want to see him make the right decisions and be okay.

The other half of the relationship, Rhea, is also a supremely intriguing character. We learn very early in the film that she is a vampire, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding her even when we know what she is. For one thing, it’s clear that vampires in Drained are slightly different than many other movie vampires, but the exact rules are left for us to discover along the way. Also, Madalina Bellariu Ion plays the role of a tortured vampire incredibly well. She’s alluring and scary all at once. She deserves our sympathy, but she is also clearly hurting others. It’s a fine line that could easily come across as too melodramatic, but Madalina’s performance is just right. She’s captivating to watch.

Of course, the actors couldn’t be as great as they are without a solid foundation in the script. The writing in Drained is exceedingly smart, and it makes familiar vampire tropes feel fresh and interesting. And even if the idea of a doomed relationship with a vampire seems familiar, it’s plotted so well that it holds your attention throughout every scene. The thorough development of all the main characters draws out so many mixed emotions that you can’t help but be totally invested in the story. Then, when the final scenes arrive and the conflicts grow more intense, all of those pent-up emotions are released in a frightfully satisfying conclusion.

Vampires and metaphors are no strangers to each other, and Drained follows a similar line of thinking as many other vampire films. Vampirism is treated like both an addition and an obsession, especially from Thomas’s point of view. There’s a bit of a drug reference to be found in it, but the vampirism really feels more like falling head over heels for the exact wrong person. Someone who is wrong for you and is actively harming you. It’s knowing that you’re entering into something that is going to be toxic, but you can’t stop yourself. The phrase “hurt people hurt people” comes to mind numerous times throughout Drained, and it really feels like the moral of the story. It’s an enthralling way to approach a vampire story like this.

From a visual standpoint, Drained looks fantastic. I don’t know what the budget was, but the visual style of the movie perfectly fits the story. Daniel Patrick Vaughan was the Director of Photography, and the movie is shot beautifully. The lighting and production design is also smartly done, with the mood of each scene being conveyed well though every frame. And I’m not saying Drained looks good for an indie film, I’m simply saying that the movie looks good. Period.

If there’s a nitpick to be had, it’s that a small number of the special effects are distractingly awkward. Effects are used sparingly, and most of them look good, especially in the scenes towards the end of the movie. But there is one brief sequence I’m specifically thinking about (but I won’t spoil) that feels off. Other than that though, the few effects used are good.

Drained Rating and Recommendation

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