New Developments for Shunji Iwai’s ‘Vampire’

This movie is sounding more awesome all the time! Just a quick re-cap for new readers, if you don't already have the scoop: Vampire follows the story of who else, a vampire, who works as a schoolteacher. His feeding ritual is fairly unique, if a tad depressing: he preys on suicidal women, but he falls in love with each one before their inevitable demise. Kevin Zegers (Wrong Turn, Gossip Girl), will play Simon, the vampire with a soft spot. Supporting roles will be filled by up-and-comers Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kristin Kreuk, Adelaide Clemens, Trevor Morgan, Amanda Plummer, and Yu Aoi.

Twitch shares more details about the film, and below, we have a production video straight from the set of Vampire:

"Zegers stars as Simon, a man with a predilection for the taste of blood, and the resourcefulness to find willing victims on a website for the suicidal.  Given Iwai's track record of creating characters that have a highly developed fascination for the object of their affection, you can expect a delicate balance of compassion and utter immorality.  Also, given that there have been a number of actresses doing short stints throughout the Vancouver shoot, expect something of a body count.

With the dense green forests of the North Vancouver mountainsides in a constant state of fog and drizzle, Iwai is reminded of Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan that draws close to Siberia.  However much Iwai is or isn't at home, his actors are certainly navigating a somewhat foreign process.  "According to Zegers, "Anytime I get a bearing of where I am, I sort of start all over again.  I've been [acting] since I was a little kid, and this is like nothing I've ever done.  It feels different, but it feels better." A notable sentiment coming from an actor who met with Iwai immediately after four days on the set of Sebastian Gutierrez's vignette-based piece Girl Walks Into a Bar, where he was doing a stick-up scene in a nudist ping-pong bar.

And for a film that feels better, how much time is he spending in a dark and morbid emotional state?  "On this movie, 24-7... It feels very much like abuse, and I knew all along that this was going to be a very emotionally taxing thing, so I was prepared for the beat-down, and the incessant need to be in this dark, sort of funny place.  I'm laughing a lot, but the sort of crazy laugh you see the guy in the corner doing.""

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