Trailer trash gets a whole lot scarier when the entire bunch has an insane thirst for blood. Got a cut, on your period, or just plain outside at night? Stay far away from the Bogieville Trailer Park, lest you want to be drained dry.
Written by Henry P. Gravelle and directed by Sean Cronin, Bogieville follows a down-and-out couple in need of work and on the run from local trouble. Ham (Arifin Putra) and Jody (Eloise Lovell Anderson) happen upon a derelict trailer park and are convinced to stay by caretaker Crawford (Jonathan Hansler), unaware that it houses dozens of vampires. Lead by head vampire Madison (Cronin), the tenants ravage nearby towns and drain victims of their blood. Ham and Jody are desperate for the work, but is it worth risking their lives by staying in this hell hole? Escape may be harder than they thought.
We’re in a sort of vampire renaissance here with recent theater films, but Bogieville brings that special something to the table. Practical effects like gnarly chompers and buckets of blood offer loads of visceral scares as Ham and Jody make their plans for escape. I can feel every mosquito and wave of humidity in this dusty, southern gothic setting. Not even children are safe, as we can see with one character.
But it’s not just 30 Days of Night with continuous bloodbaths — there is actual plot to Bogieville. This town is clearly a forgotten part of the US, left to rust and crumble just as the Bogieville mobile homes. Everyone has a story too, and there’s more than meets the eye; everyone is just trying to survive out here. The same can be said about the actual filmmaking process; if you haven’t already, check out my interview with Cronin to hear the sorts of issues that can plague an indie production!
While I’m not normally a hardcore vampire film watcher, I did enjoy the action-packed, blood-soaked thrills that Bogieville offered. These are not your sexy, suave Counts or your monstrous humadoid leeches — the residents here were once people, cursed with life as undead and an insatiable appetite for blood. And that’s where Bogieville stands out out above the rest!
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