Please be aware, my review is very biased, as I fell in love with the writing of F Paul Wilson many years ago. As far as I am concerned the novella "Midnight Mass" (available in many different collections) is one of the finest vampire stories ever written. I have read that Wilson was happy with this adaptation, and I can appreciate that, but I'm going to call this out as one of the worst, and I mean the very worst "films" I've ever seen. A story as good as "Midnight Mass" deserves a better effort than this one.
There are those who object to the "pro-christian" slant this movie takes. I have a difficult time understanding that. As an atheist who adores the mythology of the vampire, one cannot ignore the relationship between Christianity and the European vision of the vampire. I love it! I love the idea that something as simple and yet complicated as faith can be the greatest weapon against evil. Read the story and tell me that the sequence involving the transmogrification isn't amazing. To actually witness what amounts to a modern miracle is a fascinating concept. Tie that in to the concept that vampires have weaknesses against that which is Holy and you've got an amazing story. I strongly urge you to read the novella and the other works of Wilson, I'm a huge fan. Remember, if we buy enough of his books, Hollywood will finally commit to making a decent version of one of his works, right?
There are those who object to the "pro-christian" slant this movie takes. I have a difficult time understanding that. As an atheist who adores the mythology of the vampire, one cannot ignore the relationship between Christianity and the European vision of the vampire. I love it! I love the idea that something as simple and yet complicated as faith can be the greatest weapon against evil. Read the story and tell me that the sequence involving the transmogrification isn't amazing. To actually witness what amounts to a modern miracle is a fascinating concept. Tie that in to the concept that vampires have weaknesses against that which is Holy and you've got an amazing story. I strongly urge you to read the novella and the other works of Wilson, I'm a huge fan. Remember, if we buy enough of his books, Hollywood will finally commit to making a decent version of one of his works, right?