Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82% (Critics) / 67% (Audience)
Directed By: Derek Lee and Clif Prowse
Written By: Derek Lee and Clif Prowse
Starring: Derek Lee, Clif Prowse and Baya Rehaz
Studio: CBS Films

Synopsis:This terrifying horror thriller follows two best friends who set out on the trip of a lifetime around the world. Their journey, documented every step of the way, soon takes a dark and unexpected turn after an encounter with a beautiful woman in Paris leaves one of them mysteriously afflicted. Winner: Best Picture (Horror), Best Screenplay (Horror), Best Director (Horror) at Fantastic Fest, and recipient of awards of recognition from the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. AFFLICTED is one of the most suspenseful and original action horror debuts in a generation. – (Source)

The Good:
I like the take creators/stars Derek Lee and Clif Prowse have gone with on their version of vampirism. The rules of how often to eat and the consequences if one doesn’t follow those rules is intriguing. I also thought the scenes where the two friends start experimenting with Derek’s new found powers were very fun and brought a sense of levity to things that made it all the more horrible when things took a darker turn.
This movie also did a lot with it’s limited budget while adhering to the somewhat confining restrictions of the found footage film genre.

The Bad:
Prowse and Lee were game but it is obvious that acting is not either fellows strong suit and it became increasingly evident as Lee was asked to do more and more.

The Ugly
The encounter between Derek and his maker never really felt like the high stakes encounter it was being built up as while Derek was searching. Not sure if it was an issue with the acting or just the pacing and editing but those scenes just seemed lackluster to me.

Final Verdict: An inventive twist on the found footage genre and an original take on vampires helps to make AFFLICTED a fun bit of horror with a decent opportunity to become an ongoing franchise. Don’t let “found footage fatigue” keep you from checking this one out because it is more than worth it.

Grade: B