One of the many projects currently being presented to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Market is the vampire horror film Feed, which is set to star Daisy Jelley (whose credits include the Cannes Film Festival debut How to Have Sex), Clinton Liberty (Normal People), and Niamh McCormack of Willow and The Witcher. Deadline notes that the story is inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Irish legend of the female vampire Dearg-Due.
Written and directed by Marco van Belle (Arthur & Merlin), Feed will follow a group of twentysomething social media influencers battle for their lives at a remote contemporary mansion when they awaken the world’s original female vampire.
Jac Kerrin and Dominic Wright of Ripple World are producing the film while Umedia co-produces. Niamh Fagan is executive producing for Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, which are providing the financing. Filming is expected to take place in Ireland sometime this fall.
Van Belle had this to say about the project: “With people using social media to make their mark and get rich quick, I’m fascinated to explore the fragility of modern influencer culture by putting our characters against a ruthless creature that has the true power of influence.“
Ripple World provided the following statement: “Marco has created an original female Irish twist on the vampire horror genre. We’ve assembled a wonderful young cast and we’re all hungry to get our teeth into the production. Feed is a roller coaster of a film that should have audiences on the edge of their seats and leave them thinking hard about what they wish for.“
While I’m very familiar with Bram Stoker’s Dracula story, I wasn’t aware of the legend of the Dearg-Due until I saw this movie announcement, so I’m glad to see that Feed is going to spread the story of a character the horror-loving audience should know more about. Some information on the Dearg-Due, apparently also know as the Dearg Dur, can be found at IrishCentral.com.
Does Feed sound interesting to you, and have you heard about the Dearg-Due before? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.