The Brighter in Darkness vampire saga continues with Lucas Rising

A while back, I blogged about gay horror fantasy Vampires: Brighter in Darkness. Lucas Rising picks up where the first film left off, giving a brief recap, storybook style. But honestly, if you’re going to delve into this world, you need to immerse yourself in the characters and situations by seeing Brighter in Darkness first.

While that romantic gay vampire story was more grounded in vampires invading mortal reality, Lucas Rising blows up into a full-fledged underworld battle plot in which vampires, witches, and demons abound. Our main gay vampire couple returns, but their love story takes a backseat to a much more complex world takeover plot.

I could pretty much comment on all the same things about this sequel that I noted about the first film:

• The guys (and ghouls) are super hot and hunky.

• Things step into soap opera territory, with these creatures of the night getting quite catty at times.

• While some of the effects may be on the low budget end, I actually think they are vastly improved here, especially the monster makeup effects.

• The movie is not as campy as other gay vampire celluloid such as The Lair, but it does have moments of humor. However, this sequel is generally much darker than the first film.

• Just like the first film, this one runs a bit too long, and we are bombarded by more and more characters as the plot unfolds.

• Once again, sexual situations are nearly non-existent, although our main couple does get to cozy up in one scene. There’s also no nudity.

• And finally, we are once again left with a cliffhanger of sorts, promising an even bigger battle in a third sequel.

Most notable of all for me is the fact that all the major players from the first film have returned to reprise their roles! Continuity is crucial in this kind of ongoing saga!

If you’re looking for straightforward gay horror, this isn’t it. But if you’re a fan of gay paranormal fantasy – gayer than True Blood – then give this series a look.