This is why I love independent filmmaking. Artists get to challenge genre norms.
Written by Bret Miller and directed by Harley Wallen (Ash and Bone), Beneath Us All begins in Scandinavia in 912 AD. That’s correct. It is a brave move for an independent feature, yet Wallen pulls it off in what has to be his best film yet. The director is getting stronger as a visual storyteller and more confident because this coming-of-age narrative has a deadly twist: it’s actually a creature feature as an ancient vampire (Yan Birch) is awoken to feed again!
And it is because of one foster kid. Julie (Angelina Danielle Cama) is a good girl. She has a natural instinct to care for others and watches over the other foster kids in her family - Stephen (Malachi Myles), Sarah (Hanna Wallen) and Erica (Emilia Wallen) - as her foster parents Todd (Sean Whalen) and Janelle (Maria Olsen) are less than ideal.
Oh, in the eyes of the state they might be the cream of the crop but there is a dark edge there to almost every move they make. When social worker Rebecca (Kaiti Wallen) visits the family, she picks up on the mood in the house and soon settles into a distrust about the whole arrangement. Something is amiss here.
But it is going to get worse, because in spite of Todd’s violence, Julie doesn’t stop bringing home wounded things into the house . . . even if it’s a man. She can’t help but care, but that’s part of her soon to be 18-years-old naivety because, with one discovery, she sets in motion a violent bloodbath which cannot be undone as a Yggdrasil pendant releases an evil presence disguised as an injured man.
This is not a man who needs any help from humanity either. He is Frey (Birch) and he is all about the vampiric side of life, which was why he was cursed and left to rot in the opening sequence of the movie. This is the terrain of the thriller and, yes, there will be blood because a lot of bodies are soon going to be uncovered.
And nothing can stop the power that grows within Frey. Just as nothing can stop Julie from becoming an adult. The similarities here are unnerving and, as the self and all its needs are awakened, that’s kind of the point.
Part vampire flick and part family drama, Beneath Us All walks a fine balancing act and, thanks to some great performances from everyone involved, manages to make its audience care about each and every one of the characters. Hell, even the foster parents have a point to make here. The tension is timed and the fear is palpable and, as the director, Wallen handles it all with a grace which comes from experience.
Beneath Us All is most definitely a family affair.
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 91 mins
Director: Harley Wallen
Writer: Bret Miller
Cast: Sean Whalen; Kaiti Wallen; Maria Olsen
Genre: Drama | Horror
Tagline: A Harley Wallen Films
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Deskpop Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date: September 19, 2023
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Julie is a foster child heading for her 18th birthday when she finds something buried with something unspeakable inside.
