Ana Lily Amirpour’s film is one of the great modern twists on the vampire film.
Ingeniously crossing genres and borders and delivered in striking monochrome, this Iranian horror, filmed in California, also deftly incorporates iconography and genre elements from the Western.
Set within the moody, evocative surroundings of ‘Bad City’, a skateboarding vampire (Sheila Vand) arrives in town and begins stalking the neighbourhood. Soon, she crosses paths with Arash (a James Dean-channelling Arash Marandi), a young man struggling to take care of his sick father, and the two begin to form a strong connection.
Boldly original and hypnotic, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night playfully and unpredictability defies the expectations of the genre, elevating the vampire film to thrilling new territory.