Have you ever thought something was a little…off about the neighbours? In the case of Sky’s new film The Radleys, the neighbours are vampires. In this funny yet sinister adaptation of Matt Haig’s book of the same name, Damien Lewis and Kelly Macdonald play a married couple, Peter and Helen. They appear relatively normal – a nice house, two teenage children (who do not know about the whole vampire thing), and normal jobs and events around them. That is until their daughter, having turned vegan, kills a sexually aggressive boy after a party to satisfy her intensified bloodlust. And so forth, the whole ‘family disease’ of bloodlust, mindreading, extended life, and various other superpowers comes forth in a gory, hilarious story.
You may wonder how the parents hid this secret from the children. They managed because they have abstained from drinking blood for years – this leads to a series of clever puns and suggestions linking blood to alcohol. Vampirism equates to alcoholics, blood is a drug that they fight, with the help of ‘The Abstainers Handbook’. This is made more relatable with a dodgy website and a stereotypical hotline. The whole premise makes for a perfect storm of bloody gore, gentle humour, clever hints and references (such as black pudding being the key breakfast item), and loveable, relatable characters.
Avoiding the vampire cliches
It would be impossible to write a vampire film review without comparing it to the Twilight franchise. The risk with vampire films these days is playing into the modern classic Twilight narrative. Thankfully, The Radleys avoids any trace of Twilight’s infamous blue filter, or cringe, painful acting. The characters felt realistic and relatable, especially Rowan – desperately in love with the neighbour’s son. He falls victim to the natural appeal of human blood, is led astray by his Uncle Will (a chaotic, morally challenged character), and as a result, becomes super irresistible and attractive. This is the only hint of classic cringe vampire cliches.
The light humour that runs throughout the film quickly vanishes as the plot progresses. Dark themes, painful histories, and vengeful actions take priority. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously as a piece of work but rather enjoys a light approach. If you’re a fan of blood, gore, gentle and sometimes silly comedy, mixed with surprisingly dark twists then you’re in for a treat with The Radleys.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 15-21 August. Tickets and showings are available here. Brig’s coverage of the film festival can be found here.
Featured Image Credit: Sky UK/RadioTimes
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