"Suck" (2009)

This vampire story is a cheaply but stylistically, more metaphor than story, exploration of the obsession with fame. It is a pretty appropriate subject for a generation that values the fifteen minutes more than any that has come before. Kids today could care less about fortune, just give them recognition. Even notoriety is something to be coveted.

In “Suck” we are introduced to a rock band that is barely scraping by. More than anything else, they want to be signed and have huge success. One night, the bass player goes to a party with some people who came to her show, and it turns out they are vampires. After she becomes one, the band start to experience more and more success. Pretty soon, the whole band have become vampires and they are superstars.

Ironically, fame (and vampirism) is not the great thing they imagined it would be, so when they are given a way out they take it. At least “normal” life is a life…

This movie is not overly horrific or scary, but it is still a vampire movie. The make-up and effects are impressive for the budget. Also, the participation from actual rock personalities ensures a higher than would be expected level of quality to the music. The film is a musical in many ways. The acting of those rock stars on the other hand… well, they are musicians and not actors.

As with so many secular takes on the subject, this film only manages to declare the vanity of fame and fortune. It fails when it comes to offering a better ideal in life. The story ends with our characters regretting a return to normal life and missing the fame that they hated. What you really have is not a warning against the vanity of empty pursuits so much as a discontent generation.

Basically, a life without purpose sucks.