The Familiar (film)

Last updated
The Familiar
Directed by Kody Zimmermann
Written by Kody Zimmermann
Produced by Riley Walsh
Starring Torrance Coombs
Paul Hubbard
Rachel Sehl
Brock Shoveller
Art Kitching
Jason Harder
Luisa Jojic
Josh Blacker
CinematographyGeorge Campbell
Edited by Kody Zimmermann
Music by Richard L. King
Release date
Running time
22 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Familiar is a 2009 comedy horror short film starring Torrance Coombs, Paul Hubbard and Rachel Sehl. It tells the story of a naive vampire fan who becomes the personal assistant to a belligerent vampire. It won awards at the Sitges Film Festival, Bram Stoker International Film Festival, Charleston International Film Festival, the Rincon International Film Festival, the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and the River Bend Film Festival. It has been nominated for several Leo Awards as well as Best Short Film at the DGC Awards.

Contents

Plot

Sam (Torrance Coombs) has always been obsessed with vampires from the time he was a child watching them on children's programs to when he was a college student reading horror novels on the side. On Sam's 21st birthday, a mysterious gentleman offers him a peculiar career choice: become an assistant to a real-life Vampire. Intrigued and enthusiastic, Sam takes the job and meets Simon Bolivar (Paul Hubbard), a 400-year-old Vampire. Everything about the Vampire does hold some truth to it; a truth followed by a dose of hard-reality. Sam soon realizes that it is not so cool or pleasant to serve his corrupt and neurotic behavior.

Cast

Inspiration

Kody Zimmermann came up with the idea reading Dracula while working as an actor's assistant: "I felt like...the vampire was a metaphor for the boss from hell. I was always interested in the Renfield character in Dracula, and no one ever really did his story – that I know of. What kind of a person would devote himself to this sinister, Satanic agent and still call himself a human being? I thought that was the connection – you are crazy for being part of this world, but you are not exactly the main character, either. I wanted to bridge those two things, and I think it fit well while I was writing it: serving this greater being while being caught up in this insanity. A lot of us go into these jobs where we ask ourselves, 'why are we doing this'". [1]

Awards

Wins

Nominations

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References

  1. Alyse Wax (2009-10-16). "Exclusive Interview: Kody Zimmermann, writer/director of 'The Familiar'". FEARnet. Retrieved 2011-10-16.