A new red-band trailer for Kiss of the Damned has dropped online, hinting that the upcoming film has everything you could possibly want from the vampire genre — copious amounts of sex, violence and betrayal.
Kiss of the Damned is the latest feature film from writer/director Xan Cassavetes. Other than being the daughter of the legendary John Cassavetes, Xan helmed the critically lauded documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. She also worked as an assistant director for true-to-life crime drama Alpha Dog (otherwise known as “That One Justin Timberlake Movie”).
Her latest effort, however, seems to be bit on the bizarrely sexual side. Well, perhaps more than a bit. Kiss of the Damned follows screenwriter Paolo as he engages in an erotic affair with a rogue vampire named Djuna. Behaving as we all would, Paolo eventually catches on to Djuna’s “skin condition” and demands she take incorporate him into her rather unconventional and undead lifestyle. Things seem to be going quite smoothly — and athletically sexual — when Djuna’s predatory sister Mimi arrives.
Heroes actor Milo Ventimiglia is set to play Paolo, while Joséphine de La Baume is set to play Djuna, an actress whose only noteworthy role was a brief stint in 2011’s Johnny English Reborn. A similar casting can be found in Roxane Mesquida, who’s set to play Mimi, who’s long resume is mostly foreign features.
After you watch the red-band trailer for Kiss of the Damned below, the questionable castings and seemingly cliche story line should all make sense. That should not suggest that it’s not interesting or intriguing. After all, Kiss of the Damned seems to blend the vampire genre with themes that work — eroticism, sensualism, romance and horror — a far cry from the PG-13 rating we’ve systematically reduced them to. The film even dips into the notion of an aristocratic vampire underground, one that can dictate rules for immortality — somewhat reminiscent of Anne Rice.
In any case, Kiss of the Damned is set for a release on May 3rd. While you’re waiting, check out the spicy and sexy red-band trailer below — but be forewarned, this is a red-band trailer and not appropriate for all audiences. Enjoy!
