The horror genre can be broken down into a ton of sub-genres. While some are done to death, there are others that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. One of those is the vampire sub-genre. Luckily I’ve now got one more that I can revisit from time to time with Frank Sabatella’s The Shed.
The Plot
After finding out that a vampire has inhabited his shed, Stanley’s already rough life takes a turn for the worse.
My Thoughts
This year is shortly coming to an end, but I’m still finding some hidden gems among the pack of films that have come out in 2019.
As I’ve already stated, the vampire sub-genre is one that is seriously lacking these days. Sure, we could always revisit the countless versions of Dracula that exist, and yeah, there are some other great ones from the past, but I really want to dive into something fresh and new… that’s where The Shed comes in.
Writer and director Frank Sabatella starts things off fast and furious within just the first few minutes of pressing play. We see the ‘birth’ of the new vamp that will be taking over young Stanley’s shed, the one who will be turning his life upside down.
The beauty of this film is that it isn’t just another vampire flick. Yes, the bloodsucking monster, played quite effectively by Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction, Netflix’s “Luke Cage”), is the main antagonist here, but Stanley and his friend Dommer are both dealing with some other pretty big issues.
At the heart of it all is real life tragedy. Stanley, portrayed by Jay Jay Warren (“Bosch”), is dealing with life after both parents have passed away. He struggles with his new living situation, constantly being in trouble at school, and more.
Congruently, Stan’s best friend Dommer (Cody Kostro, “City on a Hill”) is constantly being tormented and physically beaten by a group of school bullies.
The majority of the story is concerned with developing these characters and showing exactly they how deal with the trials and tribulations they are presented on a daily basis. When faced with the new and frightening realization that they now are in the presence of a real life monster, the boys react in completely different ways; One wants to destroy it and one wants to use it as a tool for his long awaited revenge.
The Shed at Home
The Shed will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on January 7, 2020 from RLJE Films.
While this home release is barebones in terms of special bonus content, it does feature reversible artwork that, quite frankly, is worth the price of admission alone, if you ask me.
While I would have loved to see some behind-the-scenes featurettes, I am happy with the presentation of the film itself, still worthy of a spot on my shelves.
The Shed is presented in a 1080p HD Widescreen 2.40:1 format and contains a DTS-HD master 5.1 audio track and optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles. The film is not rated.
The Verdict
Besides maybe Stake Land and its sequel from a few years back, I can’t think of many other modern-day vampire films, which is really quite a travesty.
The Shed does a great job of taking vampires tropes and throwing them into a creative new setting. The acting from all parties is more than sufficient and the special effects, all demonstrated through practical means, are impressive. Ripped off limbs and other grotesqueries all look wonderful throughout the film’s entire 97 minutes.
If you are a fan of vampire flicks like me and want to see something new and exciting in the genre, be sure to grab yourself a copy of The Shed as soon as possible.
I give this one 3.5 startling nightmares out of 5.
