Even with his slightly different zombie debut film ‘Ben & Mickey vs. The Dead’, director, author and actor Jeremy Gardner knew how to play with the expectations of his audience very well. And with his most recent directorial work ‘After Midnight – Love is a Monster’ he goes even further. The mix of horror thriller and (love) drama, garnished with buddy comedy elements, is refreshingly brushed against the grain and is difficult to capture in genres.
If this already piques your curiosity, you can easily take a look for yourself – on various platforms, some of which even offer the film completely for free: “After Midnight” is currently not only available by subscription Amazon Prime Video*, but also free on Amazon’s ad-funded Prime Video alternative Amazon Freevee* as well as on the YouTube channel Netzkino:
That’s what ‘After Midnight’ is about
Hobby hunter Hank (Jeremy Gardner) and his girlfriend Abby (Brea Grant) have actually been in a happy relationship for years in a remote house in Florida. Hank is even more shocked when Abby disappears one day, leaving behind only a cryptic note. As Hank becomes increasingly desperate, a predatory creature tries to enter his house every night from now on.
Hank uses armed force to confront the creature, but no one in town believes him that the monster really exists…
A final twist that was washed away
‘After Midnight’ is a real horror surprise that, apart from the recurring monster inserts, is increasingly developing into a tragicomedy that is as entertaining as it is moving. However, you shouldn’t feel too safe because director and leading actor Gardner takes a disturbing twist in the final minutes that almost no one could have seen coming (and of course we don’t want to anticipate that at the moment).
But even before this shocking conclusion, ‘After Midnight’ always manages to fascinate and surprise if you are open to somewhat unusual horror. Anyone who ventures into this courageous genre experiment with a touch of social criticism will enjoy ‘After Midnight’ (and especially the twist).