Movie Review: World of Darkness (2018)

Personal anecdote time (it’s relevant, trust me): I was always a Dungeons and Dragons type of guy (with some other tabletops thrown in), and never played Vampire:The Masquerade. The game seemed tailor made to my interests, and I had friends that played…hell, I even had some of the books (collected for the breathtaking Tim Bradstreet (who is interviewed in the doc) artwork, and avidly watched the TV show spun off from the game…but I never rolled a single die. Why? Who the fuck knows! Books could be written on the mind-boggling choices i made in my misspent youth…but this whole thing brings us to the review subject at hand…
Comprised of interviews with the creators, players, and appreciators of Vampire:The Masquerade; World of Darkness is a deep dive into what made the game, and White Wolf, the company that created it, so special and influenced not only people to play the game but embrace the vampiric, Goth lifestyle as well. And while “documentary” may make you think this may be a stodgy, scholarly affair, you can check that shit at the demonic door, because this film is indeed information packed, but it’s also energetic, entertaining, and fast paced…plus it’s filled with tons of that fangtastic art I referenced earlier. The subjects interviewed are totally invested in the material, and seem absolutely delighted to discuss the game as well. There is also time given to those that cosplay and LARP their characters from the game (and these folks really nail the aesthetic perfectly), as well as the game’s influence on media to this day (including the Underworld lawsuit)! Also of note, this is a “warts” and all doc; so the down turn of the company, the suing of their fans for their game clubs (a serious dick move of the highest order), and their being blamed on rando psyhos committing murder is brought to light as well.
If there is a negative, it’s that I regret not playing the damn game. I feel like I missed out on something that would have been “just for me” at a time I could have really used it…and now I have zero time to game…
On that bittersweet note, let me put a beastly bow on this one. World of Darkness is a must see doc, whether you ever played the game or not. It’s a fascinating view into not only the creation of the game, but the lifestyle it catered to as well, and is fascinating from beginning to end.