JAKOB'S WIFE (2021)

 

(Director/co-screenwriter: Travis Stevens. Co-screenwriter: Kathy Charles and Mark Steensland.)

 

Review

A pastor’s wife (Anne Fedder), quiet and living in the shadow of her husband (Jakob) for the much of their decades-long marriage, is bitten by a new-in-town, Nosferatu-like vampire (The Master), not only racking up a local body count but creating a new, challenging dynamic in her relationship with Jakob, who’s taken her for granted. Will their marriage adapt despite this undead occurrence and, more importantly, will they and their community survive the ensuing bloodshed?

JAKOB’S, one of the best films released in 2021, is a fun, nuanced, character-based (in a good way), deftly written and paced work, one rarely seen in the genre. Anne’s evolution as well as that of her and Jakob’s relationship remain at the core of this sometimes gory, darkly humorous, and conjugal-honest movie, which is equal parts character drama and effective, twisty horror film, with Tara Busch, who also wrote JAKOB’S score, singing a fun, updated cover of Concrete Blonde’s “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)”. (She’s credited under her band name I Speak Machine.)

It helps JAKOB that its cast is excellent. Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR, 1985), one of the film’s producers, played Anne Fedder, whose emotions range from church-mouse silence to raging bloodlust. Jakob, played by Larry Fessenden (HABIT, 1997), is also convincing in his emotional transformations. Sarah Lind (WOLFCOP, 2014) played Carol Fedder. Robert Rusler (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE, 1985) played Tom Low, Anne’s ex. Bonnie Aarons (DRAG ME TO HELL, 2009) played The Master, whose motivations may be more than what they seem.

One of my all-time favorite vampire flicks, JAKOB, with its waste-no-words writing, striking shots and all-around behind-the-scenes expertise, was edited by Aaron Crozier (WE ARE STILL HERE, 2015) and director Travis Stevens.