With such a high concept title as is Lesbian Vampire Killers, you won’t be surprised to hear James Corden and Mathew Horne’s cinematic breakthough is aimed more than primarily at the male audience.
Retelling the story of an ancient curse laid upon a remote Welsh town, for the introductory 5 minutes, Lesbian Vampire Killers sees mostly naked young women lustfully biting into each other as the town’s female population are left destined to transform into bloodsuckers on their 18th birthday.
With Fletch (Corden) fired from his job, and Jimmy (Horne) cast aside by perennial dumper Judy (Gaskell), the hapless, and cashless, pair go on the only break they can afford; hiking. By chance choosing to visit from the same rural town struck down by the ancient lesbian vampire curse. Crossing paths with a camper van of scantily clad Scandinavian students, the pair’s dreams suddenly become a nightmare as they’re forced to fight off a bloodsucking onslaught and dispel the town of its curse for good.
After the ludicrous opening scenes, it’s difficult to ever really take Lesbian Vampire Killers seriously and though for a silly horror-comedy this doesn’t always prove detrimental, for a film that will always be compared with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Shaun of the Dead, before the action even really kicks off, you’ll be finding niggles.
Lesbian Vampire Killers lacks the subtlety in its narration to mask the underdeveloped story. Ever a problem for high-concept films, Lesbian Vampire Killers fails to move on from the initial idea, never enhancing on the silly plot.
Going some way to mask the frustrating Scandinavian tourists, Corden and Horne, however, boast easily enough charisma to carry the film, and are more than confident in first major big screen appearances. Making the most of a script surprisingly light on comedy, the pair can look forward to being involved in bigger and better things in the future.
Lesbian Vampire Killers is sadly a concept film that struggles to move beyond obvious concept. You’ll find a decent amount of fun and some laughs along the way, but ultimately the one dimensional narrative struggle to hit home.
★★★★★