Horror film icons Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden make the most of headlining the horror comedy Jakob’s Wife. Their on-screen chemistry togethers drives the film, making it and them a blast to watch as Crampton’s character is possessed by a newfound will for independence that goes hand in hand with a new thirst for blood, and there are certainly bucketloads of the red stuff on display.
Crampton plays Anne Fedder, a woman who gave up a wild younger lifestyle and dreams of exploring the world 30 years earlier to marry Pastor Jakob Fedder (Fessenden), a seemingly mild-mannered man given to religion and a life of routine. When Anne’s old flame Tom Low (Robert Rusler) returns to the Fedder’s small town to explore a business deal, he and Anne explore the old mill where they used to hang out together. Old Feelings flare up, they kiss, and mere moments later, Tom is attacked by a pack of rats and Anne finds herself face to face with a Nosferatu-like vampire called The Master (Bonnie Aarons, star of 2018’s The Nun).
Anne starts acting and dressing differently, throwing Jakob for a huge loop. When he stumbles upon Anne slaking her new thirst for blood on a neighbor, he is conflicted on how far he will go to save his wife from an eternity of being undead and under The Master’s clutches.
Travis Stevens, here following up his meaty 2019 feature film debut Girl on the Third Floor, has crafted a fun vampire romp that looks great — David Matthews’ cinematography is terrific, and the special effects, special effects makeup, costuming (especially Crampton’s post-bite wardrobe), and set designs are all top notch — and boasts fine direction and crackerjack performances. The screenplay by Stevens, Kathy Charles’s (202o’s Castle Freak), and Mark Steensland certainly sports its share of vampire movie tropes, and it touches on the themes of free will and independence within a marriage without a strong wrap-up, but overall it delivers the goods when it comes down to offering up a fun time drenched in blood. Another of the film’s strengths is its strong characterization for Anne and Jakob, and how wonderfully Crampton and Fessenden, respectively, inhabit those roles. Crampton is superb as she goes from a woman quietly questioning her life decisions to someone gleefully tasting liberation along with blood, and Fessenden plays the confused husband who also happens to be a man of the cloth with high status, avoiding Jakob from becoming a fright-fare cliche.
The tone of Jakob’s Wife does wander at times, starting off with a strong dramatic and horror vibe before stepping foot into more comical territory, and then heading back into dramatic territory once again during the third act, but overall the film is a winning effort, and boasts a final shot that is one of the most amusing and charming ones in recent memory.
Jakob’s Wife screens as part of Panic Fest, which takes place from April 8–18, 2021. For tickets or more information about this hybrid edition of the festival, visit panicfilmfest.com. #panicfest2021
The film, released by RLJE Films & Shudder, will also be in theaters, On Demand and Digital from April 16, 2021. It premieres exclusively on Shudder in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand on August 19, 2021.
