Crucible of the Vampire (2019) User Reviews

Lacking atmosphere

[mjsreg · 5/10 · 19 February 2019]

Like so many indie low-budget films around at the moment this film had a story that could have turned in to a really good movie, but was spoiled by lack of attention to detail and not giving much thought to creating atmosphere.

Very poor use of lighting for much of the film which felt more like a corporate video at times, and camera angles that didn't allow the viewer to visually construct a world they could become engaged in or be drawn in to.

These are things that don't cost money and don't take much time to give thought to. They had the tools but not the creativity to use them to best effect.

It is such a shame when an indie film has such potential to be really good.

The acting was OK considering the experience of many of the actors - but again it felt like there was significant lack of direction or exploration in the scene.

Then there is attention to detail at the location. It was plainly obvious that this is not someone's house (let alone home), with fire points and commercial hotel like equipment in just about every shot. These could have been easily moved or disguised. Again, attention to detail was lacking.

It is not a bad movie by any means, but don't expect much from it.

Actually suprised

[danfurtado-11221 · 3/10 · 18 February 2019]

Watched this one by chance and was pleasantly surprised, It''s low budget but it still feels like a movie, the plot was kinda forgettable the acting was ok.

The best part of the film imo was the set and location looked really nice especially if you like victorian era buildings, Secondly the sound and music were really good and really loud. The music choice fit and really boosted the tension in some of the scenes.

It's a below average horror movie with some cool scenery a couple good moments but a bit boring;

Could have been but...

[veracosta01-569-789634 · 3/10 · 11 August 2019]

The actress playing Scarlet did get on my nerves. I could accept that the whole thing is kind of amateurish but come on... Could the acting be so bad?

Dracula is spinning in his grave

[fnord-21 · 1/10 · 17 February 2019]

Wimpiest vampires ever, and that's including the ones in the Twilight movies. Dumb, too, one forgets she's a vampire and runs out into broad daylight just to burst into flames. I've seen better CGI from an Amiga 1000.

You cannot be serious!

[joffday · 1/10 · 11 March 2019]

I have stopped writing reviews on IMDB due to the sheer quantity of films we watch.

"Can you get a vampire movie/" my wife asked. As there hadn't been any vampire movies for a long tie I decided to get this. Huge mistake.

This movie is a disaster in every way. The acting, the directing, the dialogue, the 'special' effects, the actors themselves - what a mess. How anyone could have come up with the money for this piece of garbage is a wonder.

Please - spare yourself a waste of 96 minutes and watch paint dry - it will be more interesting.

No no no

[mazetastan · 1/10 · 17 March 2019]

Not a good movie at all. Everything too amateur, boring, cheap conversations, no composition.

A highschool play at best

[milesd-90529 · 1/10 · 21 February 2019]

Total rubbish, very bad acting, zero atmosphere and I mean no atmosphere what so ever. Ridiculous storyline, plot holes galore, I fell asleep twice watching this garbage, the ending is laughable as is the whole movie, I honestly thought it was a tongue in cheek not to be taken seriously movie, but that wasn't the intention from the film. Makers, low budget or not it's just a very very bad movie. D movie is giving it a compliment. AVOID. And ignore the high score reviews, they are paid reviews.

Typical indie

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 22 August 2019]

CRUCIBLE OF THE VAMPIRE is nothing more than a typical indie horror movie, hot on location and attempted atmosphere but absolutely lacking everything else required to make a 'proper' movie. There's cardboard characterisation, block-headed scripting, a singular lack of incident, and a plot that seems to have been mish-mashed together from bits and pieces of other, better movies. The only cast member of note is poor old Neil Morrissey, whose appearance in this makes I BOUGHT A VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE look like a masterpiece by comparison.

Not awful, but a frustrating watch

[TravisHighrise · 6/10 · 13 August 2019]

It would be very easy to dismiss a movie like this, but it's not the total disaster that some have described it as. Certainly there are a number of short set pieces which were engaging. What lets it down is the desire to be too many things: is it a vampire movie, a psychological thriller or a ghost story? is it based on power, revenge, or lust? At various points it tries to be all of these things but sadly never truly manages to be any of them well. There are far too many unnecessary ingredients here, which means that the good ideas don't have room to breathe, and not enough space is given to the viewer to become truly engaged before the plot jumps on to the next part of the story.

Casting is a positive, and despite what has been said, the acting is never terrible. For the most part the central characters deliver their lines well but again, crowded out by too many ideas, the dialogue ends up needing to push the plot forward rather than allowing them to relate especially well to each other. Far too often, the moment any interesting relationship starts to develop, we are shunted on to the next set piece like a passenger on a ghost train. This limits the opportunities for the actors to bring us anything that we might empathise with.

As a classic Hammer enthusiast, I really wanted to enjoy this film, and there are some genuine highlights for fans of the genre that make it worth a look, but like the crucible in the story itself, what could have been a powerful story is left disjointed and half-buried. Every time it piqued my interest, it changed its mind about where it was going. The ambition is admirable, but in the end the characters, the plot, and ultimately the viewer are all left bravely grasping for something that they never quite reach.

Crucible of boredom...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 7 September 2023]

Initially I was lured into watching the 2019 movie "Crucible of the Vampire" on account of it being a horror movie that I had never seen or heard about. And the movie's cover was a bit interesting as well. So when luck would have it that I stumbled upon it by random chance here in 2023, of course I opted to give the movie a chance.

Writers Darren Lake, Iain Ross-McNamee and John Wolskel collectively managed to deliver a rather monotonous, dull, uneventful and devoid of entertainment script and storyline here. It was a very slow paced movie with nothing interesting happening throughout the dull narrative. I managed to endure a staggering 50 minutes of the 104 minute runtime, then I simply gave up out of sheer and utter boredom.

The acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough, though the actors and actresses virtually had nothing to work with in terms of script, dialogue or character gallery. The only familiar face on the cast list here, for me, was Neil Morrissey.

Visually then you're not in for anything interesting either, as this is not a movie loaded with special effects or CGI. So the movie didn't even score points there.

If you enjoy horror movies, do yourself a favor and don't waste 104 minutes on "Crucible of the Vampire", because the only scary thing about it was how dull and boring it was.

This is not a movie that I will ever return to attempt finish watching, because I just simply have zero interest in the storyline and characters.

My rating of director Iain Ross-McNamee's 2019 movie "Crucible of the Vampire" lands on a two out of ten stars, and that is almost solely because of the production value alone.

A classic British modern vampire horror thriller! 10/10

[pyeo-68724 · 10/10 · 2 March 2019]

A great British vampire horror thriller which cleverly links the modern day with the 1600s and 1800s too... Great actors, great performances, perfect atmospheric locations and HD cinematography ABF superb sound mean that this film is well worth a watch and show that Director Iain Ross McNamee/Ghost Dog Films are capable of pulling off a great film in UK that will keep you entertained and wondering what will happen next!

Folk Horror Vampire

[Pairic · 6/10 · 1 June 2021]

Crucible Of the Vampire: An interesting Folk Horror film which has echoes of Witchfinder General, The Wicker Man and the Vampire Lovers. A young archaeologist, Isabelle (Katie Goldfinch) travels to a Gothic stately pile to examine half a cauldron which has been found during renovations. This may be the missing half of a Druidic cauldron which Isabelle's University holds. The family at the old house are rather creepy with the father apparently intent on selling the artifact. The dancing daughter has her sights set on Isabelle. There are flashbacks to the 17th Century when a Witchfinder and his soldiers hang a man they accuse of sorcery and cleave his cauldron in twain. The local woods are reputed to have been cursed by evil since ancient times. Some of the effects are a bit ropey but there are are effective dream and vision sequences. The mansion provides long corridors for chasing and the Vampires do have some bite. Not a classic but worth watching. Directed and Co-Written by Iain Ross-McNamee. I watched the Director's Cut on Flick Vault. 6/10.

Just about worth a watch

[michaeldmccarthy-73481 · 3/10 · 6 February 2024]

If this film had ever decided what it wanted to be, it might have got somewhere. Vampire tale, ghost story, mystery thriller, cult story? Who knows. I also found the acting and dialogue rather wooden and unconvincing at times, and character and relational development never really got anywhere, with the result that the whole was rather unconvincing. I would imagine that the only actor in it with any viable street cred, i.e. Neil Morrissey, will not see it as one of his finer forays into cinematic art. There are also far too many nods to other, more worthy offerings from, for example, Hammer Horror, but this film is just not in the same class. Also a rather slow burner, although both the action and the bloodletting did accelerate somewhat in the final quarter of an hour or so. All in all, I felt that this a rather amateurish production, although to be fair, it did just about hold my interest enough nfor me to watch it through to the end.

Horrendously awful.

[lilyloo-79807 · 1/10 · 17 June 2019]

Terrible acting, script, music, sound effects and editing. Really really bad, not in a way that it could become a cult movie, just in the throw it in the fire never to be seen again way! I mean come on a shot of a hedge filling the screen whizzing by....if i could give it minus 10 i would!

Purely Lockdown Material

[caniac-88291 · 1/10 · 16 February 2021]

I would be embarrassed to be be associated with this film. It suffers from a personality disorder in which the film does not know what it is. It seemingly starts with a purpose and that purpose is fleeting after 10 minutes. Isabelle is the only competent character throughout. But even she could not save this pile of dog dirt.

Decent low budget film

[khrystynakernytska7 · 6/10 · 26 May 2019]

If you are willing to accept all the aspects that come with a low budget, such as unpolished camera work, amateur acting and lack of special effects, than this is a decent niece film to watch for those who like vampire movies or low budget horror.

The main actress was the only one that could portray a realistic character with some depth of emotion. Never the less, the suspension is decent in this one.

If you like polished high-end Hollywood blockbusters skip this one, if you appreciate low budget fun projects, add this to your watch list.

Reminds me of the old Hammer Films

[johnanthonymazzei · 8/10 · 19 February 2019]

It's a Gothic vampire tale, as an homage it's great. I agree with another reviewer the musical score alone is worth the price of admission. The protagonist, Katie Goldfinch, has a future in action films. ...This film touched every base from the hokey characters, the strange reveals, stupid choices people make in horror movies.... It fell short of the amount of gratuitous nudity Hammer was famous for, although there is a silly and hot soft core seduction scene. The constant fade to black for no good reason over and over again was annoying. As were the inverted color sequences. All in all not a bad flick.

Surprisingly good

[grantss · 6/10 · 10 December 2022]

Young historian Isabelle is sent to an old manor house to investigate an ancient artefact. The family living in the house are friendly and nothing seems amiss. However, it is soon clear that a dark mystery hangs over the house and the artefact.

I set my expectations very low for this. It seemed like your average B-grade horror film, complete with no-name cast (Neil Morrissey is the exception).

However, it's isn't that bad. The plot is okay and writer-director Iain Ross-McNamee creates a decent amount of tension. Performances aren't bad and neither are the production values (though one or two special effects leave something to be desired).

A pleasant surprise.

Entertaining with some class scenes

[Hugofoscolo · 7/10 · 6 February 2019]

IMO two of the most important things a film needs are (1) a decent plot and (2) characters one can have empathy for. This film delivers on both and hence held my attention for it's entire duration. In addition there are a number of very memorable scenes. Neil Morrissey meeting his demise is an especially good one and the dream sequence being another. Some of the camera work is also first rate, though that's not to say it all is, and some scenes could have done with a reshoot. After all the film has obviously been spent on a budget. In addition the acting ranges from very good to very mediocre, though as a whole the cast held together well and left the viewer happy to join the ride as it cascaded on towards it's classic horror film ending. In all I've given the film 7 out of 10, but if I were scoring based on enjoyment only, I'd have given it a 9.

Crucible Of The Vampire

[a_baron · 9/10 · 28 August 2021]

This is a surprising gem from a slimmed down UK film industry, one lacking nothing for originality. A young assistant museum curator is sent to a decrepit country home where the eccentric owner claims to have found an important relic buried in the basement. He wants, or claims to want, big bucks for it, but it soon transpires there is a great deal more afoot. For one thing, there is a mysterious grey lady type figure walking around the house at night, or was Isabelle dreaming like she was dreaming the lesbian encounter with the owner's daughter? Heck, that was real too?

This is for the most part a psychological thriller, but just when you think it may disappoint, things get really gory towards the end, including a life or death chase through the house, and a spectacular final scene when, just in case you had thought these country bumpkins were simply mad, the shocking truth is confirmed.

Ambitious story-telling on a small budget.

[parry_na · 6/10 · 13 April 2019]

Director Iain Ross-McNamee makes very good use of what is clearly a small budget, for this UK horror story. Veteran actors Brian Croucher (Doctor Who, Blake's 7 and EastEnders) and Neil Morrissey (Boon, Men Behaving Badly) feature alongside newer names to give a good variety of ages and acting.

Special effects are used with great restraint, and when they do occur, are pretty impressive. The locations, and the vampiric atmospherics they bring about due to fine cinematography, are more immersive than the story being told, however. Rather than a traditional 'Wicker Man'-style tale of mysterious locals and cavorting sects, I think a weirder, more personal story would have benefitted from McNamee's talents. There is a certain Jean Rollin-esque style to some of the latter scenes and the way they are composed. Rather than embracing a style of film that has been told more expensively elsewhere, a more dream-like narrative would have been more suitable. There are several nods in that direction, with a certain erotic charge involving the excellent Katie Goldfinch (as Isabelle) and Florence Cady (Scarlet) and some fine locations (beautifully lit) with a dark fairy-tale quality. A little more of this and this enjoyable 96 minutes might well have been even more absorbing.

A spooky ordeal at an old estate in England

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 28 August 2023]

A young museum curator (Katie Goldfinch) is sent to a country manor a few hours northwest of London to investigate an artefact unearthed in the basement. The family seems nice, but strange things start to mount up, causing the woman to want to flee. Florence Cady is on hand as the questionable blonde daughter of the estate.

"Crucible of the Vampire" (2019) is low-budget Indie horror in the tradition of Hammer Films. Although a flaw surfaces here or there, such as the introduction of Scarlet (Cady), the filmmaking is professional enough. The focus is on creepy mood rather than fast pace or constant thrills, although everything builds to an exciting last act in which the F/X are impressive considering the budget.

Carla Cresswell in the prologue stands out in the female department, a great way to open the movie.

If you don't mind low-budget Indies and are in the mood for spooky atmosphere at an old British mansion in the mold of "Jane Eyre," "House of Usher," "The Others," "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" and "Witchfinder General" (aka "Conqueror Worm"), give it a watch.

The flick runs 1 hour, 44 minutes and was shot in Shropshire, England, which is about 3 hours northwest of London and about 45 minutes northwest of Birmingham.

GRADE: B-

Very atmospheric

[gawayne-75621 · 10/10 · 27 December 2022]

This was one of the best horror films I have seen for some time-it had a very eerie atmosphere that gradually built up during the course of the film. I am not usually a fan of such films but this was definitely an exception-the photography was brilliant and the acting really good- also the storyline was intelligent and well written-not too much gore which ruins most modern horror films. Also liked the development of the characters. I can't understand why it has so many negative reviews on here as it was far superior to many films that have been given positive reviews. As I said I am not usually a horror film fan but this had the right kind of atmosphere for me.

Competently Made Vampire Flick

[ladymidath · 8/10 · 15 May 2022]

I can see that the people who made this film was going for a Hammer vibe, right down to the sexy vampires and gothic locations. It works...and it doesn't. Crucible Of The Vampire is a good movie for what it is, but it doesn't have the moody atmosphere of Subspecies or Interview With The Vampire. The acting is solid enough, although a little dull. The location and photography are good but it could have been a lot better. It does drag a little, but when the action begins, it really does get going.

The script just needed to be a little tighter.

Not bad though for a film that obviously didn't have a huge budget.

A decent and enjoyable vampire film

[visca_macia · 10/10 · 18 February 2023]

I watched this entire movie on a YouTube channel. I was immediately attracted by its leisurely and quiet mysterious atmosphere, beautiful cinematography, apt music and effects, and good enough actors, especially Katie Goldfinch. The development of the film is understandable and well done. The scenes of fear or danger are quite dark and enigmatic, and in the denouement the tension is remarkable.

No other contemporary film, which has been available on YouTube with this vampiric theme, has attracted me like this one. I have tried to look at others with a lot of ostentation and pretensions and I have not lasted even a few minutes.