The Transfiguration (2016) is a horror drama I somehow missed during its initial release. So, I was happy to stumble across this moody vampire tale about loneliness, mental illness, and how we hurt others when we do not take care of ourselves. It is a heavy reminder that while we think our internal struggles are ours alone, our actions have ripple effects on those around us. Writer-director Michael O’Shea’s film is a beautiful slow burn that almost masquerades as a young romance. However, the script leaves the audience much to chew on while hitting them right in the feelings. It tackles race, class, poverty, and hopelessness in a way that makes it impossible to shake off when the credits roll.

The Transfiguration follows a lonely teen, Milo (Eric Ruffin), who believes he is a vampire. When he meets another alienated teen, Sophie (Chloë Levine), the two form a bond that forces Milo’s fantasies and truths to collide. Their relationship might make you think The Transfiguration is just another Let the Right One In situation. To be fair, O’Shea’s script is very aware of all the vampire lore that came before it. It is unafraid to name movies that it shares DNA with and almost wears each reference as a badge of honor. Milo obsessively consumes vampire media like Martin, Near Dark, Nosferatu, etc. However, while The Transfiguration wears its nods to the films that sired it on its sleeve, it is much more invested in ripping out the hearts of the modern viewer.

Ruffin brings a palpable sadness to Milo. While the film makes you wait as it unravels all of his trauma, you instinctively empathize with him from the second you meet him. Even as you watch him hunt and kill his prey, you cannot help but feel frustrated by how this kid has fallen through the cracks of a broken system. His mother dies before the film starts, and his older brother Lewis (Aaron Moten) has mentally checked out.

We soon discover Milo is simply another person in his home who needs professional help. However, how many Black teens are forced to navigate adolescence in a system stacked against them? While most of us who go undiagnosed and untreated do not believe we are vampires, plenty of us have been suicidal. The statistics dramatically increase yearly for Black kids and teens. This is why the depictions of suicide and the overwhelming amount of unchecked depression on display in this film make it more relatable than typical vampire fare. It also makes it hard to look away as it raises an important topic that often gets ignored in horror’s haste to default to white leads.

Watching these two brothers not have access to the tools needed to deal with their trauma, shared and individual, is like watching a wreck that you know could have been avoided. Whether or not they understand that they have inherited more than standard generational trauma from their mother, who took her own life in their home, they have no choice but to carry it. Milo’s feelings are so big that they manifest into this bigger-than-life idea that he must be unnatural and should probably not exist. Meanwhile, Lewis avoids the world as he stares into television and refuses to acknowledge his or Milo’s pain. 

I love and hate The Transfiguration because too many of us who only had our imaginations to get us through the saddest times of our youth can see bits of ourselves in Milo. I also had a visceral reaction to Lewis as the sole adult in the home who constantly dissociates, as Milo is clearly far from okay. Intellectually, I get that he served in the war and probably has PTSD on top of whatever he has picked up from his mother. It is also clear that the VA is not taking care of someone who served this miserable country, which is sadly standard. However, Lewis’ refusal to engage with the real world reminds me of my mom and made this film hit way too close to home. So, while this is an excellent movie, it caught a few parts of me that are a bit unhealed off guard. Which I guess is another sign that it is highly effective storytelling.

In short, The Transfiguration offers a lot to vampire fans. Whether you want to hear how Twilight goes over with a teen well versed in vampire lore, or you are looking for something that shares vibes with many of your favorite bloodsuckers. However, you should pack some Kleenex because The Transfiguration’s bleak ending cuts deep and feels spiritually akin to Bones and All and Ganja & Hess. If you are up to it, it is worth the psychic damage because the film is an overlooked gem that deserves your attention.

The Transfiguration is currently available on VOD and Tubi. 

Nicholas Cage has one of the most interesting careers in Hollywood. He starred in films from prominent directors like Francis Ford Coppola, The Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Michael Bay, and John Woo (to name a few). He quickly made BANK in his early career, leading to poor financial decisions. Cage found himself in a heaping load of absolutely awful films in the Aughts and early 10s to get his affairs in order. From odd Christian propaganda films to straight to VOD garbage to those truly awful National Treasure movies, it was clear Cage was in a bind. It wouldn’t be until the tail end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, with Mom and Dad and Mandy, respectively, that the world would be thrust into the much-needed Cage-issance.

Mandy follows Red Miller (Nicholas Cage) and his girlfriend Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). They live in a gorgeous isolated mountain house where veteran Red finds himself as a lumberjack while Mandy works at a gas station (and is an artist). Children of the New Dawn leader Jerimiah Sands (Linus Roache) notices Mandy walking one day and decides he must have her. Sands kidnaps Mandy and eventually kills her in front of Red—big mistake. Red goes on a rampage of revenge and leaves no witnesses (well, he does leave one).

Writer/director (and talented nepo baby) Panos Cosmatos is one of the most visually stunning genre filmmakers of the 21st century. Beyond the Black Rainbow was a confusing yet stunningly brilliant debut feature film. Even if it was difficult for most audiences to understand, it was clear he had a specific vision and style. Almost a decade after Rainbow, Cosmatos would come out with his most accessible film to date. Mandy was a more down-to-earth look into the mind of Cosmatos and connected with the horror audience in a way Rainbow failed to. This trippy, metal, operatic masterpiece took the genre by storm.

Mom and Dad was having its wide-release post-festival run the day Mandy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Both films bolstered the return of Cage being a brilliant actor. Mandy was toted as a badass return to form for an unhinged Nicholas Cage at the hands of a director who knew how to handle it. One of the funniest bits from Community is when Abed (Danny Pudi) takes the Nicholas Cage Good Or Bad? class. Abed asks whether Nicholas Cage is just good in bad movies and bad in good movies. While that’s a fair question, I think it’s deeper than that. Cage is best when a competent director knows how to handle Cage. And Cosmatos knows how to handle his Cage.

Beyond the brilliant performances, Cosmatos expertly mixes practical and digital effects seamlessly (and even some matte paintings, I believe). One of Mandy’s most visually appealing aspects is the Hellraiser-like creatures that are spawned when the cult members use the Horn of Abraxis. This horn summons a group of BDSM off-roaders who use enough acid to kill a major metropolitan area. Their creature design is absolutely stunning, and each one has their own personality, which is shown through their individual creature design.

Once the rampaging starts, it doesn’t stop. Red takes out each villain in fun and brutal ways; he accepts no substitutes. The most fun fight scene is when Red and one of the Hellraisers have a chainsaw swordfight. It’s an absolute thrill to watch. But who could forget Richard Brake? Destined to be a hellbilly from birth, Brake is the one who creates the acid for the cult and *checks notes* has a tiger? Okay, go off king. Nothing about this film should work, but it does. From Riseborough’s restrained performance to Roache’s over-the-top, megalomaniac performance, there isn’t a single bad actor among the bunch.

If you somehow HAVEN’T seen Mandy, you need to fix that immediately. It’s a truly unique film that works just as well today as it did in 2018. It’s a shame it takes Cosmatos so long to come out with films because I eat up everything he makes. Sure, Beyond the Black Rainbow is a difficult film to watch, but it’s gorgeous and a hell of a trip. And his segment in Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is my favorite among the bunch. If Wikipedia is to be believed, Cosmatos has a film coming out in 2025…let’s hope that’s accurate.