Just caught STRIGOI: THE UNDEAD on the Netflix Instant Queue. It was released in 2009 and appears to have fallen under the radar. I see no mention of it anywhere on the board, so…
A few of things attracted my attention right off. It’s an independent vampire film made in Romania, written and directed by an English woman, and advertised as a “black comedy.” So I settled in, ready to enjoy some subtitles, when to my amazement the entire cast starts giving out with heavily-accented English. Now, I don’t know whether our tongue is widely taught in Romanian schools, but everyone seemed pretty much at home with it (albeit they were occasionally difficult to understand). And it proved to be anything but a typical vampire film.
No spoilers, I’ll just say it begins with the execution of a local tyrant and his wife (the connection to Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu is unmistakable; the actors even look vaguely like them). And needless to say, they won’t stay down. But the story plays out in fascinating and unexpected ways, and the performances are uniformly interesting – especially that of our hero, Catalin Paraschiv.
I’m happy to say it does not rely on copious bloodletting for its appeal. There’s some gore, of course, but this is not a splatter-fest. And it is not so youth oriented as, say, Let the Right One In, but geared to a more mature audience who can appreciate its own brand of absurdity.
It is a bit long; the joke does wear a little thin. At 1:45, a 10- or 15-minute trim would have improved it. Still, a unique experience.
So it’s on the Netflix Instant Queue while it lasts, if you’re interested.
I found an
interview with the writer/director, Faye Jackson, which addresses some
interesting points (best saved until after viewing the movie, I’d think): http://www.quietearth.us/...FX-and-Romanian-folklore.

