THE THOMPSONS

After the massacre caused at a gas station in the American Mojave Desert, the vampiric Hamilton brothers are forced to flee the United States being among the country's most wanted. They decide to change their last name to Thompsons and move to Great Britain in search of another vampire clan that could help them survive. They settle in Ludlow, a small village in the London countryside where they hope to receive help from the Stuarts, a local clan that offers them refuge and assistance. The Stuarts, however, hide the true reason for their hospitality which, once discovered, will lead the two clans to a fight without mercy. Six years after the previous "The Hamiltons", the Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores n.d.r.) return behind the camera for this sequel that tells the story of a family of barely teenage vampires. In a time when the "monsters" that have characterized horror films for decades have gained consciousness and a heart, the two American directors produce a work that should remain on the crest of the wave for quite some time. "The Thompsons" is certainly a better work than its predecessor, which was nothing more than a B-movie shot and produced with a notably limited budget, thanks to a superior quality of the shots and special effects, which however do not represent a focal point of the film, as well as to an acting level more than acceptable. The English location, chosen for the shooting, has a good impact and is definitely suitable for the plot thanks to settings that contribute to increasing the suspense. Inside the film, there is a bit of everything, from the most classic horror, to the most truculent and bloody gore, to sex scenes and romantic moments; the problem is that the screenwriters too often forgot that it should be a horror movie, while in several instances there is the risk of falling into the soap opera abyss losing bite and interest. The idea of involving the viewer in a story of intrigues between the different vampire clans is certainly interesting but is carried out in a too superficial manner to be engaging, thus losing in a drop of water. As the minutes pass, the characterization of vampires as extremely powerful beings who terrorize humans gives way to a society of the undead that has decided to adapt to the uses and customs of men out of fear of being discovered, which in the long run becomes even pathetic. The various characters present in the plot have been characterized more than acceptably, from the Thompsons to the Stuarts, especially regarding the character of Riley, a human woman who is forced to live with her vampire relatives. The most "horrific" and violent scenes can be summarized in a hodgepodge of clichés taken here and there from the most classic vampire films, all seasoned with liters of blood worthy of a splatter movie. This "The Thompsons" is therefore a film without infamy and without praise, definitely unsuitable for those who are passionate about old-style horror, but that could be interesting for those who are approaching the genre for the first time and for less demanding viewers.