The Moth Diaries (2011)

"The Moth Diaries" isn't a standard vampire story by any means and some may even argue that isn't one at all. The film takes the vampire concept in a different direction than usual, where the vampire in question walks around daylight and sips tea and instead of blood, she drains her victim's soul. There is even a subtle nod to Bram Stoker's version by having the vampire's victim share the same name as Dracula's first British victim, Lucy. It also deals with the pain of having a loved one commit suicide and trying to heal and move on. "The Moth Diaries" is a dark, fresh, and very engaging film about the supernatural.


Sixteen year old Rebecca is sent to a private all girls school after her well known poet father commits suicide and her mother is unable to care for her. The movie begins at the start of Rebecca's third year at the school, where she is delighted to see her best friend Lucy again. Lucy was the first girl that befriended Rebecca and the two became very close. A few days after the school year begins, Rebecca is introduced to the mysterious new student Ernessa. Lucy becomes a quick friend to Ernessa, slowly shunning Rebecca more and more. Rebecca comes to suspect that Ernessa might be a vampire after being introduced to the novel "Carmilla" in one of her classes; it doesn't help that the other students also notice that she never eats. And then, one by one, Rebecca's other friend's are forced from the school, or worse, are killed, after Rebecca begins to seek out the truth about Ernessa. Did Rebecca really see Ernessa walk along the edge of the balcony and through a glass window? Why isn't Lucy eating anymore as her energy slowly slips away? And Why does Ernessa keep talking to Rebecca about her father's suicide and how she and Rebecca are so much alike?

Rebecca

Rebecca and Lucy sharing a moment

Ernessa and the rain of blood

Ernessa, the new girl

American Psycho (2000)

"American Psycho" the film is a completely different beast from the novel and the two mediums should never be compared. They both have something unique to offer and the book has aspects that couldn't be transferred to a movie. The film does take some aspects from the novel and finds a clever way of inserting them into the movie, such as having the main character Patrick Bateman talk about his views on the different musical performers from the 1980's to his soon-to-be victims. Christian Bale gives an amazing performance as Patrick Bateman, killing his victims with such a detached zeal that comes across so strongly in the novel. The character of Patrick Bateman is perfect as a possible serial killer because he is often described as the boy-next-door throughout the novel and the film. He kills because it's another form of consumption, referring to one of his victims as a piece of meat; Patrick is living at the height of the 1980's consumerism boom, consuming drugs, sex, high profile dinning spots, business cards, and killings as if they were all the same thing.

Patrick Bateman is a successful 27 year old yuppie who works on Wall Street, is obessessed with his looks and moisturizing creams, is engaged to a beautiful young woman who he is cheating on, and who has a compulsion to kill. It might be all in his mind because he thinks about it all the time, even threatening people with death right to their face. He starts off small (to him) by killing a homeless man and his dog. Then he kills his assumed rival Paul Allan. As Patrick becomes more and more bored of his real life, his alter life becomes filled with murders and sex. Even when he believes that everything is spiraling out of control, that he's gone to far over the edge, he's rudely reminded that "Patrick Bateman is too much of a wuss to ever kill anyone". So he's left brooding to himself while his "friends" and co-workers decide where to go for dinner next.