Sink Your Fangs Into "INSANE LIKE ME?" A New-Age Vampire Hunter Emerges (Review)
Photo Credit: Justin Cook PR
A Bankhead Productions feature, ‘Insane Like Me?’ is a supernatural thriller directed by Chip Joslin and stars the film’s writer Britt Bankhead, founder of Bankhead Productions. Thanks to Justin Cook PR for providing us with the early screening of Insane Like Me? for review before its release on June 4th, 2024 to cable VOD and digital HD. From Desktop Entertainment, Insane Like Me? will be available on several platforms including Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Fandango At Home, Comcast, Dish, and Direct TV.
Jake Morgan (Bankhead), a combat war veteran returns home after a tour overseas to reunite with his girlfriend Samantha “Sam” (Grace Patterson). Sam surprises Jake with a Welcome Home party at the east Texas small towns local party spot, the abandoned “Massacre Hotel.” Established in the early 1900’s, there have been reports of over a hundred missing people along with mysterious 200 deaths occurring in its vicinity. The host of “You Heard it First” a paranormal investigation TV show, arrives at the hotel with his cameraman to hopefully gain insight on the strange happenings that have occurred in the building.
Photo Credit: Justin Cook PR
After a wild night of partying, things take a turn for the worse when the two are brutally attacked and murdered by two beautifully seductive blood-sucking beasts after trying to “interview” them for the show. Jake and Sam attempt to escape the madness and find themselves directly in the path of chaos. They get separated and Jake escapes but Sam disappears along with the others who were murdered or never found.
Being the only witness to what happened at the hotel, Jake is accused of Sam’s “murder” although her body was never recovered. The towns sheriff, who happens to be Sam’s father, has Jake admitted to an asylum for the criminally insane where he endured nine years of physical and mental abuse. Once his release date finally arrives, he hasn’t given up hope and sets out to find Sam. Knowing what he saw at the Massacre Hotel that night, he is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her back.
Photo Credit: Justin Cook PR
Towards the begining, the film seemed to not have a clear direction of where it was heading. About a quarter of the way in, it began to give that connection we desperately longed for. For being a supernatural thriller, the amount of blood-spill and horror elements made for a nice surprise. The vampire attacks were subtle but still gore-worthy. Sitting at about an hour and a half run-time, we thought that it was just the right amount without dragging on. It also had the added element of mystery with finding the true horrors that lie deep within the Massacre Hotel.
The stories of vampires and vampire hunters have been told for centuries. To be honest, we didn’t think this film would be going in the direction of vampiric kind, but it did just that. There was even a little reference to Bram Stoker, known for his 1987 gothic horror novel “Dracula”, which we thought was a fun Easter egg. That being Jake’s doctor in the mental asylum is named John William Stoker. We enjoyed the aspect of the Van Helsing style attacks that Jake set out on the lurking vampires. Who would’ve thought there would be vampires in Texas?
Photo Credit: Justin Cook PR
Insane Like Me? also stars Eric Roberts (Sherriff Davis), Paul Kolker (Will Davis), Samantha Reddy (Crystal Davis) Meg Hobgood (Josie), Jack Maxwell (Doctor), and Marie Wetherell (Erica). For having such a big cast lineup, each individual had an integral role in the film which we thought was pretty impressive. You usually see a few of those one-off characters that make an appearance and have no connection to the rest of the storyline.
To mention a few performances, Roberts played the role of the no nonsense Sherriff with a hidden secret perfectly that even we became agitated by him. Reddy depicting the strong-willed younger sister who never gave up hope on finding Sam; you could feel her emotion through the screen. Maxwell probably had one of the most surprising performances in the film, setting the tone for the ultimate “reveal.”
The simplicity of Insane Like Me? made it enjoyable for all audiences, even if you aren’t a huge fan of the genre presented. It truly has a little bit of something for everyone. Doing what it was supposed to in the sense of taking us on a journey through the hunt for love and revenge, quite literally. If we had one thing to knit-pick, it would probably be the special FX. They definitely could have used a little more practical effects versus CGI, but it still matched the atmosphere of the film.
Photo Credit: Justin Cook PR
Overall, we would recommend ‘Insane Like Me?’ to anyone who is a fan of vampiric horror or just enjoys a good mystery-thriller revenge story. It had the ability to intrigue us the more it went on and left us with a feeling of satisfaction. Possibly lending us with a continuation? As a reminder, Insane Like Me? debuts June 4th, 2024 on Cable VOD and Digital HD across the U.S. and Canada. Happy Hunting!
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