The Verdict:

Lemora is bested summed up as a grotesque fairytale; a perpetual nightmare that’s sensualities reside in the poignant fraction of a child’s mollifying and impressionable mind. I found myself intrigued by the vivid and mystical poetry of Richard Blackburn’s Lemora especially knowing the extent of the work is a distinguishing story that shares itself to the power and fragility of a naive imagination. The reason being is that we’ve all been spawned from a succulent womb with an understanding of the renowned purity we hold inside and have grown to appreciate life’s distant realisms. But somehow we always succumb to the brooding dangers that strip away our virtues and transmute into much of the solemn cohesion found in these grim aged tales of immense tragedy and childhood poverty. It’s not so much a question as to why this infliction happens, rather how frailty is born out of desire? I would like to tell you that Lemora is as simple as black and white, but it isn’t. Although it is easy to allocate the colors of emotions projected on screen just as it is easy to distinguish imminent feelings expelled from light and dark, we have to consider the haunting ambiguity strategically placed throughout the story of Lemora by Richard Blackburn as purposeful and deep. The basic understanding is that, the true soul of Lila and her validating wholesomeness has enough embraced delicacy to shape the most ripest and luscious of Eden’s fruit, but the terrible desolation and the command of the night has enough vehemence to manipulate that innocence and honesty she possess.

Complexions contrast on varying scales casting diverse shades and crafting ominous silhouettes that only serve to hide or disguise a rational conception to Lila’s fear. Creatures are conjured up from the depths of her own imagination that portray the scope of immaturity, budding puberty, and the aggression of hormonal deviation. Behind every pallid feature resides a mystery waiting for an invitation to expose who these monsters really are and a summoning to indulge unto an immoral fantasy. It’s not enough to guess or assume, a child most know, as fear is their only way to understand these traumatic experiences. But there is more to Lemora than just the subjective commentary on societies anomalous approach to dealing with chemical and sexual imbalances amongst the hostile youth. This childhood imagination is the epitome of the conflicting inner battle to weigh the conscience amongst ones devotion to religion and communion. Lemora is an articulation of the brooding encounter over chastity and human transgression. Much like how life tends to corrupt the vulnerable by way of peers and pressure, these forbidding narratives always seem to revolve around a child with a fragile heart, whose virginal implications are what make her so unique. It’s amazing to me just how delicate this subject can be handled and how the manifestation of sincerity it is at times overshadowed by an object of greater affection. Lemora leaves you questioning if relationships clash, because of human aspiration or because of ones commitment to be unadulterated. The answer is that lust is inevitable and we are bound by humanitarian features to feel and to want to be felt even if the pleasure is perceived as sinful or wrong in the eyes of the watcher. It would appear that those consciously aware of danger are more susceptible to finding it, hence why ‘The Reverend’ is always trying to control his actions around Lila. But the fact that he blames her for enticing him is a whole other hypothesis regarding man’s failure to sustain a positive image even in the lords name when sheltered by a woman’s touch.

‘Lemora the Vampyres’ is essentially the serpent of sorts that waits in the wings of impending danger and approaches discreetly in lullaby undertones. Lila is the entity of partiality, of not just the vampire mistress ‘Lemora,’ but apparently everyone around her. Even her disfigured father seems content to try and suckle her warm flesh and slurp her untainted blood. What is odd though is the shifting of Lila’s mind during the final act, partially brought on by manipulation, but also her own recently discovered yearnings. Lila comes to the conclusion that everything she’s witnessed has been sculpted from her own adolescent mind; that her libido beats anxiously and her pheromones ascend with fortitude into the brisk air calling on all the animals of the night. There is a chronic microbe inside her, which eats away at the focal of her psyche until exposing a layer of noxious corruption. All the symbiosis and metaphysical practices that build up to this very moment present the viewer with a strange, but rational comment about secreted pedophile acts that appear detrimental for Lila and serve as a reason to escape from ‘The Reverend’s’ home. Richard Blackburn goes on to show that dangers exist everywhere even in the most genial of times and that age shouldn’t determine the frailness of a child’s perception, for like us they too have to discover the world on their own.

Looking back now it’s easy to misconstrue the subtle insinuations of infancy indulgence in Lemora as nothing, but ascetic and the cautiously delicate layering of lesbianism as anything, but serious. However, we must recognize the lyrical structure of these intangible webs built up and spread out through the vastness of a child’s mind; for a dream-weaver truly knows no limit and the control one might think they have over themselves in this state of insomnia is insubstantial. If this really is a child’s tale of the supernatural the question becomes, how do we believe this child? For an adult to rationalize with these events they must suspend disbelief and that is what Lemora is essentially about. Placing the commentary aside, Lemora really doesn’t have a lot going for it and even its short running time of only eighty five minutes feels like the film slowly drags you through a hypnotic dream of pubescent strangeness. Acting is hardly noteworthy with Cheryl Smith being the only actor who truly stands out and does a wonderful job conveying suppressed anxiety. Where Richard Blackburn fails though is leaving the movie in the hands of Lesley Gilb who is in essence the main character as ‘Lemora.’ Sadly, Lesley Gilb is monotonous at best and delivers her lines with a stale tongue and unexciting voice. For what it’s worth Lemora is a great character study film, as a vampire movie it barely scratches the surface of the myth.

Audio: How’s it sound?

Synapse presents Lemora in an English Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack. Dialogue playback is solid and voices project lucidly from the speakers. Surprisingly the mono track is deep and the bass doesn’t appear to sound hollow even in Lemora’s weakest moments. The musical score by Dan Neufeld works wonderfully to harmonize the ambiguity plaguing the picture and the sexual promiscuity ruling the life of Lila. The final act is the most notable with the music exploding in dynamic force, remaining persistent and hard to shake.

Video: How’s it look?

Lemora was given a High Definition D5 PREMASTERING transfer directly from the original 35mm camera negative using Spirit DataCine Telecine. Presented here in an Anamorphic (1.78:1) Widescreen transfer supervised and approved by Director Richard Blackburn, Lemora is possibly the most stunning release and well preserved film ever offered by Synapse. Director Rich Blackburn is at times deliberately distinct using the pasty color palette to his full advantage. He does a phenomenal job with lightning the set to perfection, literally saturating Lemora in a pastel blue filter that casts soft reflections amongst the skin and has a meticulous sleeplessness atmosphere. Night time scenes look fantastic and have an ill-omened and ethereal undertone with vivid illumination and sensitive shadowing. The care and detail that Synapse has put into Lemora is commendable and certainly a great achievement.

Supplemental Material: What’s inside?

- Audio Commentary from Director Richard Blackburn, Actress Lesley Gilb, and Producer Robert Fern
- Still Gallery Including Rare On-Set Continuity Photos
- DVD-ROM Content: Original Shooting Script (Adobe PDF Format)
- Bonus Trailers

Special Features:

Synapse presents Lemora - A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural in a New Uncut, Uncensored Anamorphic (1.78:1) Widescreen Transfer, Supervised and Approved by Director Richard Blackburn. The DVD opens to an animated screen with the musical score by Dan Neufeld laid across three remote access menus. There are approximately twenty chapter stops. Also available are three trailers for previous Synapse DVD releases, Grapes Of Death, Blue Sunshine, and Brain Damage.

Audio Commentary from Director Richard Blackburn, Actress Lesley Gilb, and Producer Robert Fern - This is a wonderful commentary. Everyone amiably participates and supplies their own input regarding making Lemora. It’s great to hear Richard Blackburn lively discuss the filming experience regarding the aspect of securing financing, casting, and even the original ending.

Still Gallery Including Rare On-Set Continuity Photos - This is a wonderful collection of black and white on-the-set continuity photographs of the cast and crew alongside full color stills.

Also present on Synapse’s release of Lemora is the original shooting script. You can access this Adobe PDF File by inserting the DVD into a DVD-ROM drive. There is also a lengthy tri-fold booklet containing liner notes by Richard Harland Smith & Chris Poggiali and with a message from Make-up Artist Byrd Holland. This is another solid release by Synapse.

Closing Thoughts:

Outside of the Argento-masked-filters and the special effects make-up by Byrd Holland, Lemora doesn’t seem to really go anywhere and the story appears restrained by weak dialogue. This could be an accentuation of a child’s mind and the never ending wander and confusion that seems to grace it or it could very well be an exposure to style over substance, either way it’s up to the viewer to decide. In my personal opinion, Lemora wants to say something intelligent, but the actors cannot carry the film well enough to do so. And while my analysis on the movie may contradict the preceding statements, I suppose you have to understand that you really can't clarify a child's attitude, because after all who says they have one anyway?

© 2004 HorrorTalk.com /SamuraiTalk.com. .. No use of any material from this site is permitted without expressed permission from horrortalk.com.