’The Unwanted’ is an erotic twist on classic vampire tale

Celebrating quirky and offbeat films, the second Twisted Celluloid Film Festival takes place at Triskel Christchurch from May 15-18. Among the guests will be American director, Bret Wood, who will introduce the Irish premiere of his southern gothic movie, The Unwanted. He will also take part in a Q&A session after the screening.

Wood’s film is inspired by the gothic novella Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1871, it tells the story of a young woman falling under the spell of a female vampire. The Carmilla story has been adapted for cinema several times. Wood says The Unwanted is a modernised retelling of the story from the perspective of the woman who comes to town and is later suspected of being a vampire.

Sheridan Le Fanu’s tale is about a father who’s trying to protect his daughter from the vampire who, stranded in their town, has been taken in as a guest in their home.