Indie Horror Hall of Fame: Danni and the Vampire

What else do you want out of life?

As someone adores vampire movies or just genre comedies either, I am a big fan of Danni and the Vampire, the feature film debut from writer/director Max Werkmeister that was released back in 2020. It’s a movie that has a big heart to it, quite a few laughs, and a message that I think relates to a lot of us, which is why I wanted to take a moment to put it in the spotlight because this slice of DIY indie horror goodness deserves to find an audience.

A charming story about finding acceptance and connection in a world that is often cold and detached, Danni and the Vampire follows a peculiar monster hunter named Danni (Alexandra Landau), who recently captured the Jersey Devil (and the attention of the world at large) and is doing everything she can to chase that high once again. After she randomly hooks up with a guy at a bar one night, she finds herself mixed up in the crosshairs of two different cryptid activist organizations that both have their sights set on dealing with a vampire named Remy (Henry Kiely) who is set to go on trial for his unnatural crimes.

But when Danni crosses paths with the mesmerizing bloodsucker, she decides to set him free, and the two embark on a hilarious road trip with both travelers in pursuit of finding something more fulfilling in their lives. For Danni, that comes in the form of achieving some greater unknown purpose; for Remy, all he wants to do is open a sanctuary so that he can connect with other vampires in the world and keep them safe.

The pair decide to lay claim to a tiny church in the middle of nowhere to set up a new life, but before Remy can see his dream come to fruition, he and Danni must contend with a variety of inconvenient circumstances including a world-weary priest (Lew Hopson) and his devoted congregation, old friends, and two cryptid activists (Caron Clancey, Scott Vermeire) who are hot on their trail.

While Danni and the Vampire is most definitely a horror comedy that sets out to make you laugh and it delights in showcasing the tropes of vampire-themed cinema that we all love so much, but what I enjoyed the most about Werkmeister’s script is that it also finds ways to thoughtfully explores the themes of personal gratification, human connection and the importance of having dreams as well while still having a blast with the film’s two main characters.

In Danni and the Vampire, we watch the titular monster hunter hilariously struggling to relate to others (it’s the one thing she doesn’t exactly excel at) and she’s looking to find some kind of greater purpose. Danni is clearly also missing any sense of emotional attachment in this story, as she has her own little world that she’s built for herself inside of her car, indicative of her avoiding putting down roots into one space for too long. Danni is clearly someone who values her independence and has a desire to just do things on her own terms. Somehow, she finds a sense of community in the most unlikely of places — with Remy, the vampire.

And Remy himself is a bit of an outlier when it comes to vampires we see in movies. He’s charismatic like many of his counterparts, but he’s kind and has a code of conduct that he lives by: because vampires feed on humans (and Remy just eats the bad ones) and they live longer, he has sworn to leave human institutions untouched. There’s an honor in how Remy conducts himself as a bloodsucker, although he is a fan of making marionettes out of his victims’ body parts (everyone needs a hobby, right?). But he longs to create a safe space for his fellow vampires in the regular, a noble dream for a night stalker.

Why Remy is so fixated on making this happen is because he’s tired of vampires being relegated to existing in only tunnels and caves away from the rest of the world, which is an allegory for marginalized communities who often have to hide away from others who fear them and/or misunderstand them.

Both Landau and Kiely are truly fantastic together in Danni and the Vampire, and their infectious shared energy goes a long way in the film. They’re both quirky, likeable, not without their faults, and they are two entities that you can’t help but root for to make it through this story together. It’s truly their performances in Danni and the Vampire that gives the movie so much heart, and they are the reason why this film has continued to resonate with me after more than 5 years now.

Cinematographer Jamie Ballesteros’ (who also worked on another indie horror movie I enjoyed — Crush the Skull) often neon-drenched palette and sunny aesthetic makes for some dazzling visuals here as well, especially since it’s rare to see a vampire-centric movie utilize daylight the way this one does. I’m also a big fan of the work of composers Brendan Kelly and Sean Kelly here as well.

While it might have some rough edges production-wise, those seams hardly matter when you can create a story as irresistible as Danni and the Vampire. As far as directorial debuts go, Werkmeister makes a little go a long way with his first feature, and I do hope more folks will seek out this gem of a movie.