Vague Visages’ Insane Like Me review contains minor spoilers. Chip Joslin’s 2024 movie features Britt Bankhead, Eric Roberts and Grace Patterson. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews.

The typical C-movie favors stock characters and a formulaic structure over innovation. Unfortunately, Chip Joslin’s feature directorial debut, Insane Like Me?, falls into each and every C-movie trap. In East Texas, a U.S. Army Sergeant named Jake Morgan (Britt Bankhead) returns home and enjoys a night out with friends at the infamous “Massacre Hotel” — a popular party destination and presumably a haunted venue. When a pack of female vampires terrorize guests, the protagonist’s girlfriend, Samantha (Grace Patterson), disappears, resulting in the woman’s father (Eric Roberts as Sheriff Davis) sending Jake to a psychiatric facility. Nine years later, the former soldier tries to clear his name in Crandall, Texas with the assistance of his former lover’s younger sister, Crystal (Samantha Reddy) — perhaps the only character in Joslin’s film that isn’t a lazy archetype. Insane Like Me?, a vampire thriller with little visual style, relies on decent lead performances to make up for a clunky screenplay.

Insane Like Me? reveals its weak hand within a matter of minutes during an opening car scene. There’s the usual C-movie static shot sans music, complete with stiff dialogue deliveries and character posturing. And the subsequent vampire reveal feels equally amateur and lifeless. When Jake returns home, Joslin introduces numerous supporting characters that may indeed be authentic to East Texas but were clearly constructed as stock archetypes. There’s the loud-and-proud Texas sherrif and his bumbling cop son (Paul Kolker as Will). Plus, Joslin includes the quintessential party girl/wannabe social media influencer (Meg Hobgood as Josie), along with an archetypal stoner character (Blake Higdon as Jon) who actually wears a marijuana-themed shirt. Of course, there’s also a standard jock character (River Perkins as Crystal’s boyfriend, Haydin). As for the protagonist Jake, he naturally calls his missing girlfriend’s sister “kid” throughout the entire 86-minute runtime. Meanwhile, the sheriff calls his son “boy.” It’s all quite predictable and awkward, especially given the lack of stakes (no pun intended). When vampires attack humans in East Texas, that should probably be a big deal. But the collective characters in Insane Like Me? act like it’s an inconvenience.

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Due to the lack of character depth throughout Insane Like Me?, the awkward scene execution stands out even more. For one, there’s little blood or gore during vampire sequences. Two, Joslin and cinematographer François Frizat seem content with a series of static shots. To be fair, a mid-movie bonfire scene looks fantastic on numerous levels, from the staging to the motion to the color contrasts. But this type of visual flair should be introduced immediately during the opening sequence or first act — a way to welcome casual viewers and horror fans into this zombie universe. Next time around, Joslin and Frizat will presumably focus more on visual storytelling. As it stands, though, Insane Like Me? never feels scary or urgent, mostly because of the stiff line readings and supporting performances. Furthermore, the pure hate for Jake from locals doesn’t add up. If he’s such a monster, then send his ass outta Crandall! Insane Like Me? would’ve been much more intense if the local lawmen felt like legitimate threats.

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Insane Like Me? peaks when Bankhead shares scenes with Reddy. Both performers display industry potential, and Patterson is equally impressive at times, though some weak dialogue distracts from her nonverbal acting. The aforementioned Hobgood also stands out in her feature debut as Josie. There’s a bit too much Dazed and Confused-like posturing at times, and the social media influencer dialogue lacks depth, but there’s something to admire in terms of the actress’ screen presence. So, Joslin has a nice 1-2-3 punch with Bankhead, Reddy and Hobgood, with Roberts and Patterson adding some extra spark. But everything else needed more attention to detail, from the filmmaking 101 static shots to the lazy supporting character archetypes. If you’re going to make a vampire flick, then let it rip. Go hard and go big.

Insane Like Me released digitally in June 2024 via DeskPop Entertainment.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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