“I’m a Vampire, I Will Drink Blood, and I Will Enjoy It!”
by Garry Arnot | Cinema Perspective | August 22, 2024 | Photo: Arnot on X
Coming soon to Sky Cinema, Matt Haig’s young adult fantasy novel The Radleys has been adapted for the big screen by filmmaker Euros Lyn. The plot follows teen siblings Rowan (Harry Baxendale) and Clara (Bo Bragason), and their loving parents Helen (Kelly Macdonald) and Peter (Damian Lewis) who live comfortably in seaside suburbia. However, a violent attack after a party leads to a shocking revelation that threatens their tight family unit – they are all vampires.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 77th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Lyn, Macdonald, and Lewis to discuss the piece. “It was great to have Whitby Abbey as a backdrop, giving a nod to Bram Stoker’s Dracula” exclaimed Euros Lyn, who is best known for his work on popular TV series such as Broadchurch, Happy Valley, and Black Mirror. The drama unfolds on the east coast of England in a middle class neighbourhood, with a neat commentary at play aligning ‘settling down’ to Helen and Peter’s decision to abstain from their natural vampiric urges.
Blending many genres including romance, horror, comedy, and coming-of-age, Macdonald discussed the richness of the source material and what attracted her to the piece – “I’ve always been drawn to coming-of-age stories, especially when I was younger and I think vampire films work well with teen characters. It’s funny, I remember playing the ones coming of age but now I’m cast as ‘the mum’!”.
As well as playing the father figure, Damian Lewis also portrays the family’s renegade uncle, and he spoke on the challenges of the dual role. “It was really fun to play! Of course I had to stay focused and remember which brother I was from one scene to the next so from a practical point of view, things took a little longer. I think that everyone sort of has a sense of duality in a way but with Will (the uncle), he’s really the only one who can truly be himself and say ‘yes, I’m a vampire, I will drink blood, and I will enjoy it!’”.
The film poses the scary yet amusing idea that any one of our neighbours could be a vampire, and Macdonald joked about this seeping into her life away from the screen. “I was listening to the radio on my way through from Glasgow and started to think that most musicians could be vampires. Diana Ross? Vampire! Annie Lennox? Vampire!” When asked if any of her previous on-screen husbands could be a vampire, she laughed “Steve Buscemi – definitely a vampire!”.
Of course Macdonald has a strong connection to Edinburgh, her career launching in 1996 with the iconic adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting. However, her collaborators also have fond memories of the capital. After spending the day soaking up the atmosphere of the fringe, Lewis said “I really like Edinburgh and have been coming up to visit since my university days actually…and it’s a great festival!”. Lyn added “My first feature Y Llyfrgell actually screened at EIFF years ago, and audiences have always been very receptive. It’s nice to be back”.
You can view photos from the World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival in our Gallery here and first look photos from the film here.
The Radleys will be released on Sky Cinema on October 18, 2024 in the UK, just in time for Halloween. Watch on SkyTV in the UK and streaming on NOW. No official US release date as of yet.
Read the rest of the original article at Cinema Perspective