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‘Last Vampire’ gets world premiere
COLUMBIANA — It was a mini-Hollywood scene at the premiere of “The Last Vampire on Earth.”
Starlets arrived in limos and posed for photos on the red carpet, while cameras flashed. Excitement and anticipation flashed through the smiles of those milling about in black-tie apparel.
But it wasn’t sunny California; it was wind-whipped and snowy Columbiana. Main Street Theater, the town’s centerpiece, played host to Thursday night’s debut screening.
A couple hundred people turned out for the affair.
“The Last Vampire” was shot in the Youngstown area last fall, using local actors, crew and musicians. Three local rock bands — The Devotees, The Depths and Historians — provided the original soundtrack.
Vitaliy Versace, a Russian-born filmmaker who splits his time between Cleveland and California, was the director.
In an interview before the premiere, he had nothing but praise for Mahoning Valley talent.
“I love the people of Youngstown,” he said in a Russian accent. “I worked with hundreds of people on this project and not one caused me a problem or slowed me down. Everyone involved worked hard. They have a passion for movies, like me.”
He is already planning another movie to be shot in the Valley. “We have nine scripts on the table, and we’re planning to shoot them all between the Cleveland and Youngstown areas,” he said. No timetables have been set, but Versace hopes to get through a few them before the end of the year.
Versace is planning more local screenings of “The Last Vampire,” although none have been scheduled so far. He is holding off on DVD sales because he plans to shop the movie first to studios and film festivals.
Before the screening, Versace took a moment to adjust expectations.
“We didn’t spend $5 million, or $10 million or $100 million to make this film, so be gentle,” he told the seated audience. “Hopefully, the next one will be even better.”
“The Last Vampire” was written by Mandie Abraham of Cleveland. She told The Vindicator on Thursday night that she is working on another script.
“The Last Vampire” is very much in the “Twilight” vein. It focuses on two college students — Chloe and Aurelius — who meet in an English literature class. The class is studying “Dracula,” and Chloe and Aurelius become the leads in a dramatization of the novel that their professor assigns.
As their relationship evolves into romance, they learn each other’s secrets: Chloe has a terminal disease and Aurelius is an immortal vampire.
Complicating matters is Chloe’s father, a preacher whose faith views blood as sacred and even prohibits blood transfusions.
McKenzie Grimmett, a student at Lakeview High School, plays Chloe. Michael Bole, a Youngstown State University student from Poland, is Aurelius.
The role represented Bole’s first serious foray into acting. As the curtain time was minutes away, the geology major admitted he was nervous. “I just hope everyone likes it,” he said.
Casting for “The Last Vampire” was handled by Linda Weaver, while Terrance Esarco was locations manager.
After the screening, Abraham presented an award to Esarco for his devotion and hard work on the project. The award was voted on by those involved in the film.