Having its world premiere at Popcorn Frights, Patrick Rea’s LGBTQ found-footage film THE NIGHT IS YOUNG follows the video blog of a frustrated woman just trying to find love in the overly complicated dating-world. When the dating pool only offers up unhinged and unreliable women, dating a vampire actually seems like a step in the right direction. With lovable and relatable characters, THE NIGHT IS YOUNG finally offers us a positive and fun lesbian centered horror movie.
Vlog Highlights
A cold opening lets us know we are in Kansas City at 8:46 PM on July 8th. A group of people dressed all in black load up a van with an assortment of weapons and what we can only assume is holy water. We never see their faces, but they appear to be on a mission. The brief opening explains little but we know these events happen four hours in the future. Rewinding back a bit, we see Nora (Sarah McGuire) who is a content creator. And based off a string of incredibly cringe-worthy dates, it seems Nora is dating women while her brother Jake (Jake Jackson) films the interactions. She doesn’t seem to be going on dates just for likes and subscribers. She is genuinely looking for an honest connection with someone. Now, Nora is awkward in her own way, but the women she meets take the awkward to a whole new level. Perhaps having a camera pointed at them makes it difficult to behave normally. Or maybe loneliness makes people desperate and painfully thirsty.
All of these dates are from previous episodes of the channel. Next we are treated to a sort of highlight reel which compiles all of Nora’s most recent failed attempts at love. You know, just as a way to remind us how terrible modern dating can be. Nora just cannot get lucky. From the proposition for a threesome, a request to move in after the first date, to being inexplicably ghosted. But despite the pain of rejection, Nora still puts herself out there and tells her audience about her upcoming date. Surely this one will turn things around for Nora.
Thirst Trap
The brother remains the gaze of the story with his disembodied voice existing to ask Nora questions and to narrate. We are constantly made aware of the behind-the-scenes-brother. He is always present either audibly or visually. His sister acknowledges his presence when she frequently glances into the camera with looks of disbelief or eyerolls. In front of the camera, Nora is the ever-present figure as there is hardly a frame without her dead center. Her struggles and pain with one failed date after another become the dominant presence on screen. And it seems the harder she tries, the harder she fails and burns. Only when she has given up on dating does something promising come along.
The cute and charming Emelia (Valeri Bates) keeps glancing at the film’s protagonist while Nora waits for a date who will never show. Eventually Nora and Emelia finally meet and start chatting and flirting. Finally! Nora has met someone who is not a flake, clingy, or overly thirsty. Well, she is thirsty. But not for attention. Instead, she is thirsty for human blood. Nora’s rough dating history might have prepared her for many kinds of weirdos and odd situations. However, she never suspected vampire hunters becoming an issue on a first date! Now it has become a countdown to sunrise as this first date becomes the best date Nora has been on in a long time.
Positive Queer Representation
Now I know other horror films have featured positive representation of lesbians. But, the good examples are few and far between. Too often in horror (at least mainstream horror), gay women within the genre more often than not take on a bi-identity (which is fine) with not enough portrayals of lesbians on screen. And if a lesbian or queer woman does make it to the screen, her queerness plays a role in propelling the plot forward or simply serves as overly sexualized entertainment for the male gaze. NIGHT differs greatly from these overused depictions of lesbians in horror and provides the audience with characters who just get to exist without a homophobic storyline or fetishizing the lesbian dating scene.
The story of accidentally dating a vampire and the first date ending as the two of you run for your lives from vampire hunters, is a fun and new concept. I don’t know if making it a found footage necessarily makes sense. Because for one, it’s weird so many people just have cameras out and the awareness to hold them steady. And second, it’s super strange that Nora’s brother is always around to film his sister’s intimate moments. However, THE NIGHT IS YOUNG gives us a fun lesbian love/horror story and will make you believe in love at first bite.
