I recently stumbled upon Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural after seeing it mentioned in the Facebook group Incredibly Strange Films. Knowing absolutely nothing about it going in, I thought I'd give it a whirl as it sounded suitably intriguing from the blurb.
The film kicks off with a shocking opening: a mob-style hit where a couple is gunned down in their bed. This violence stains the life of Lila Lee, the young daughter of the hitman, who is protected by the church after being judged for the sins of her father. However, her devotion as a daughter is tested when she receives a mysterious letter from a woman named Lemora, warning of her runaway father's imminent death in a place called Astaroth. Like the dutiful child she is, Lila leaves, with the Reverend of her church chasing after her. Upon arriving in Astaroth, Lila discovers she is the target of a chilling Vampire Queen. The central question becomes: will this seemingly angelic young girl be swayed to the dark side?
Writer-Director Richard Blackburn, working with a limited budget, crafted a remarkably effective supernatural tale from a script he co-wrote with Robert Fern. The film is an intriguing, albeit disturbing, exploration of power dynamics, the male and female gaze and predation seen through the unsettling veil of vampirism in 1920s America. In terms of cinematography, the juxtaposition between the light, bright church sections at the beginning to the crepuscular twilight as Lila Lee makes her escape from the vampire hordes is effective, belying the small budget this film no-doubt had.
The portrayal of the protagonist, Lila Lee, is where the film courts its greatest controversy. She is presented as the quintessential picture of innocence—blonde hair, blue eyed, freckles, pigtails and period appropriate 1920s dress—and explicitly stated to be 13 years old. Thankfully, the role was played by the then 18-year-old actress Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith. This detail is crucial because the narrative is riddled with moments of salacious looks from nearly every character she encounters. While the film has fascinating ideas about various types of predators, both male and female, one has to question the deliberate choice to frame Lila Lee as a 13-year-old. The atmosphere creates is undeniably uncomfortable, but it is reasonable to conclude this was intentional in its attempt to critique how power imbalance creates abuse and vulnerability, especially of the young and powerless. It makes the ending more powerful and understandable.
With current events and high-profile individuals being held accountable (or at least making the news) for various misdeeds, the film feels surprisingly prescient. It holds a dark mirror up to the reality of corruption, where those in positions of power—be they older men or women, religious figures, or supernatural royalty—abuse their influence and resources to carry out their awful deeds. The film argues that this type of predatory behavior is persistent, a concept I think most viewers can sadly see plenty of examples of with the current state of world affairs in light of the fallout from Epstein and Maxwell.
The acting is fine but is pretty hammy in places but again, I think this was intentional to create a surreal, unnerving mood. Smith is solid throughout and plays the innocent Lila Lee well whilst Leslie Gilb plays Vampire Queen Lemora with contained lust and predatory hunger with suitable gravitas. Special mention must go to the bus driver though who hams it up bigger than Ms. Piggy eating a pack of Frazzles, but in a great way. He definitely got the memo and knew the assignment!
Lemora is not an easy watch, but it's a worthwhile one for fans of cult cinema who appreciate an unsettling atmosphere and complex, if sometimes uncomfortable, themes. It succeeds as a unique vampire film that is less about blood-sucking and more about the slow, corrupting influence of power on innocence. It gets a nod from me but with a trigger warning.
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