Ambrogio: The First Vampire

Set in the modern United States, indie horror romance Ambrogio: The First Vampire gives a fresh take on the classic story. The film is directed by filmmaker Alex Javo, who co-writes with Taz Lake and Johnny Ray Jr, and co-stars with Angelina Buzzelli and Zane Pappas.

Javo plays the titular Ambrogio, a centuries-old vampire who we first see violently “acquiring” a new home in a nameless town in the U.S by giving a love bite to its current owner. We are then privy to his origins in ancient Greece and how he became immortal and a bit of a biter. One of Ambrogio’s problems is having to resettle every so often for fear of pitchforks and violent mobs, but he has a few more problems on the horizon in the form of some other famous baddies. He also becomes romantically involved with local historian Sarah (Buzzelli), and his future becomes increasingly uncertain.

The tagline for this movie is “Love Defies Eternity” and the film seems far more confident in displaying the romantic elements than the horror ones. Sarah’s fascination with the legend of Ambrogio makes her the perfect romantic interest for him, and the pair’s chemistry works well to compel the viewer throughout the movie. There is a tenderness to their relationship, amongst all the peril, that is the beating heart of the film.

There is a lot of melodrama pouring from the screen that will likely appeal to fans of the genre but will be off-putting for some audiences. The actors playing the baddies are chewing the scenery, being a little more theatrical than is required, and the score is overtly emotional, bordering on soap opera territory. This gets balanced, in part, by some excellent costume design and mise en scene, particularly the new home of Ambrogio, which looks like the perfect lair for such a historic legend.

As with many vampire movies, there are numerous moments in the script of Ambrogio: The First Vampire where thinly veiled lines are given about the fact that this character is a vampire. These come too often and risk cheapening the viewing experience, but Javo’s largely solid performance lends believability to the proceedings. Some of the supporting cast struggle to convince, but that may be due to the low budget ($25k) and lack of additional time and rehearsals, etc.

The vampire film genre is jam-packed with hits and misses and Ambrogio: The First Vampire falls somewhere in the middle. There are moments of great drama and romance, mixed in with ill-judged action sequences and villainous theatrics. However, as a debut feature from Alex Javo, hopefully, Ambrogio: The First Vampire will not be the last movie we see from him.

Watch my Video Film Review of this movie on TikTok @ukfilmreview