‘I am the chosen one.’ Bloodsuckers (2026) by MrMr Films marks the debut short film for the talented Rosie Brear who brings a female-centred vampire slayer story to life. Showcasing at the SXSW London 2026 Screen Festival under the ‘Shorts: Ghosts, Ghouls and Glitches’ collection, Bloodsuckers is certainly a short film that delivers.
Straight away we are pulled into 26-year-old Bliss (Thaddea Graham) and her world. Through a gripping narration Bliss introduces us to her depleting Flatshare situation and her housemates. We follow Molly (Laura Marcus) who is less than supportive of her ‘vampire slayer’ activities and the seemingly kind-hearted Cherish (Amber Grappy).
But luckily for Bliss, her housemates are quite the opposites. Whilst Molly is boisterous and outspoken, Cherish has a little more heart and can’t quite bring herself to fully explain their dire situation to Bliss – from her vampire delusions to her lack of responsibility of paying the rent.
Strong Female Characters
There’s certainly an interesting surrealist atmosphere curated in this dark comedy thriller in a run-time of just ten minutes. Extremely dark lighting fills the background with only the characters outlined in light. The camera direction cleverly mirrors the characters and their emotions.
Whilst Bliss is framed in single shots, Molly and Cherish are framed in wide shots to show their divide with Bliss. But all three female characters can surely hold their own. There’s humour mixed in throughout with Bliss’ thrilling vampire slayer activities halted by the realisation of adult responsibilities like, as she says, ‘putting the bins out.’
Bloodsuckers feels like a brilliant homage to the classic 90’s series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Bliss is like Buffy – a strong female character. From the wooden crosses to the garlic – there’s plenty of symbolism to mark Bliss as a modern-day vampire slayer. But her world is less than ideal for her housemates. She lives more inside her own head than the real world.
Bliss’ strong imagination is truly unmatched. But we can’t help but think the reasons why she believes in vampires may just be because of her loneliness. Although as an audience we feel for her having to share a flat with Molly and Cherish who aren’t particularly willing to understand.
Increasing the Stakes
Brear is a talented triple-threat filmmaker, having written, directed and produced Bloodsuckers. The direction here excellently plays into the dark comedy and thriller elements, and the crossover works rather defiantly well. The most visually striking scene shows Molly’s bedroom shrouded in a bold shade of blood-red to signify dangerous happenings.
Bliss is a likeable, relatable strong female lead who attracts empathy from the audience. She feels further trapped, lonely, and an outcast against the relentlessly tormented bullying from Molly. Costume designer, Leena Mistry really brings out the character’s individual personalities. Bliss is framed in a more neutral colour palette with Molly dressed in a clean girl-type aesthetic, and gothic clothing for Cherish.
Everything comes together so well here. From the story to the direction, casting and acting, to the colouring, sound design, costumes, and makeup. Makeup artist, Rebecca Hampson is extremely effective at showing the characters individual style preferences.
From Molly’s bright and bold makeup to Cherish’s darkly gothic makeup and Bliss’ gruesome blood-soaked scenes. With upbeat and surrealist music by British artist, Lynks which then follows alongside a perfectly-placed narration from its lead. The sound is tensional throughout Bliss’ plan-making scenes to make us realise that her story is building to much more than she nor the audience realised.
Bliss’ wild antics leave us feeding into her supposed delusions and playing into the guessing game – that is until a well-played twist thwarts her detective work. Bringing intrigue and shock, Brear’s debut short film will leave you believing in vampires.
Bloodsuckers is part of Filmotomy’s coverage on SXSW 2026 London Screen Festival.
You can read our other recent film reviews, including British crime-thriller, Fuze (2026) here.
Rating: 4 stars