Vampire's Lust review

The setup

A man driving alone in the dead of night brakes for a frantic woman on the shoulder. Her phone is dead, there is blood on her, and her story is that another driver offered her a lift, turned strange, and would not accept a refusal, so she ran. He offers to drive her to the police. She refuses flatly: the police cannot help her. What she wants is him, specifically, to keep her safe until morning, and she suggests a motel. He agrees, a bit too quickly, and promises to stay by her side.

Episode 2

A smirking motel clerk opens episode 2, and the man insists on two beds and a purely chivalrous explanation. In the room he vows to protect her, and she starts saying strange things about how he smells. Then the mask slips. He admits he is married; she replies that vows mean little to a being who has already lived forever, and that his inexperience is exactly what she savors. His protests get louder. Her promise for the night gets darker.

Who's who

• The driver: a married man with a rescuer's instincts and no history of straying from home
• The stranger: found bloodied on the roadside, frightened at first, ancient underneath, with a taste for firsts

Verdict: 6.7 out of 10

For one episode it plays like a straight thriller, a frightened woman and a decent man, and the restraint pays off when episode 2 reveals who is really hunting whom. The dialogue turns surprisingly literary in the motel, with her remarks about the road on his skin and a heart racing faster than he is. The final exchange tips from seduction into menace, which will thrill some viewers and lose others. It is the rare short with atmosphere, and its cliffhanger makes the vampire angle feel like a beginning.

Episode guide