I’m surprised with how much I enjoyed “Blood Relatives,” since it’s not so much a horror film, as it is more of a road trip drama comedy about two vampires. That’s not meant to disparage “Blood Relatives” at all, I found Noah Segan’s horror comedy to be quite good and a very engaging tale about a father and daughter learning to love one another and bond. What makes their dynamic even more difficult is that they have the whole vampire thing wedging between them, which amounts to considerable dramatic tension. Thankfully none of the dynamic ever really feels forced, as Noah Segan and Natalie Moroles have great chemistry.
Francis is a Jewish nomadic vampire who spends most of his days driving around the country staying in run down motels. One day Jane comes knocking on his door claiming to be his long lost daughter from an affair he had fifteen years prior. What’s more is that she’s a half vampire, and half human. With no family left, Francis is forced to take Jane with him on his trips, and the two learn about one another including Francis’ tragic origins, as well as the ins and outs of being a vampire and surviving in a harsh world.
Co-star Moroles is a scene stealer and does great job portraying the tortured Jane, a young girl who’s seen a ton of misery and is dead set on finding normality. But she can’t do that because—you know… the whole vampire thing and whatnot. Segan and Moroles play well off of one another and writer Segan ponders on the more interesting aspects of their relationship, including the idea that Segan’s character Francis can’t age, while daughter Jane is going to get old and eventually die. This means a lot of traveling around and remaining under the radar, which they learn is incredibly difficult. Writer Segan pins a lot of the focus on Moroles’ character Jane, who is still trying to figure out who and what she is.
Even though she’s pretty much accepted that she’s at least part vampire, she is still basically coming of age and has to figure out how to pair the inherent vampirism with growing up. Moroles has huge star potential (she was great in “Liv and Maddie”) and she proves it here. That said, “Blood Relatives” suffers mainly from the fact that there’s no real villain. Considering Francis has lived for so many years, it’s hard to believe someone hasn’t caught on to him or isn’t trying to track him down. That lack of conflict really keeps “Blood Relatives” from building any sense of urgency.
Even after an incident involving Jane and a group of teen boys from her town, the whole horror of the aftermath is quickly deflated and immediately forgotten. “Blood Relatives” is nevertheless a very good and entertaining twist on a vampire movie that’s less about the monster and more about their relationships.
Now Streaming on Shudder.