If vampires were real, would the world accept them? After a bloodborne illness is revealed to be caused by real-life vampires, a documentary crew scouts out a nearby family of bloodsuckers to see if these creatures of the night can really coexist with humans.
And right off the bat I’d like to get something out of the way — I really like documentary-style and Found Footage, but the glitchy cameras have to stop. It was 2018 when this came out, and cameras just don’t do that anymore. We’re more likely to get no footage at all if the video was in any way corrupted, instead of this pixelated mess. This is especially true because the crew is filming a family of vampires, not ghosts or any other paranormal-type monster. No paranormal shit? No glitching!
That said, I very much enjoyed Living Among Us. If you put tropes like camera glitching aside, you’ll find that Living Among Us offers a convincing look into what a world of vampires might really be like. They’re normal people, with families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. Sure, they may be on an “all liquid diet,” but it’s gained through generous donations rather than murder. Their house is modern and clean, not some creepy dank castle. They open their home to strangers — a fun nod to having to be invited inside others’ homes — who are unconvinced at best. They may drink blood but they’re not animals. In fact, many people do that in the real world already!
Well, kind of. These vampires certainly have their quirks. Andrew, the head of the household, tries his best to dispel ancient myths like having no reflection in a mirror. Elleanor is a posh, motherly figure, helping Andrew prove to the crew that vampires are far from the devilish creatures they were once portrayed as. Their efforts are all for naught though, as two other housemates, charming Blake and brooding Selvin, secretly show the camera crew a darker side of vampirism: burning in sunlight and an insatiable bloodlust. After one of the crew is attacked in their sleep and witnessing a string of murders at the hands of the family, the camera crew fights to escape alive.
And what a fight it is. Multiple times are we shown high energy scenes and gore galore. Even the music is high energy, with video game-like riffs that are enough to get anyone’s blood pumping. And it’s not some stuffy, somber documentary either; these vampires are funny too! Blake craves the spotlight, wanting to be interviewed even as he’s killing someone. Funny enough, most of the movie is him trying to make it into the final cut of the film. The camera crew mistakenly thinks a decrepit house is the home they’ll be staying at, but is met instead by Elleanor in front of a nicely manicured front porch across the street. There are some one-liners toward the end too that, although corny, still put a smile on my face.
But I think my favorite thing about Living Among Us was that it could be both light-hearted and serious when it needed to be. The interview scenes, news reports, and all-around danger were on par with other found footage films and really made me think about how this would actually turn out in real life. Those were intermingled with not-the-best CG, namely the vampire super speed, and the kind of acting you’d find in a lower budget movie.
All of this combined makes for a terrific film. If you’re looking for fun, it’s here. If you’re looking for a touch of realness, it’s here. If you’re looking for blood, it’s definitely here (duh, it’s a vampire movie!). Living Among Us is a good time and a good watch. In the words of ever-personable Selvin: “It feels nice.”
Article previously written for Morbidly Beautiful. This article has since been updated.
