Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- lurid
- pulpy
- late night horror marathon
- road movie double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an overly familiar and amateurish vampire hybrid that spends its shocks too early and lacks the genre pleasures it tries to revise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sean's cross-country trip becomes a moving hunt involving a hitchhiking vampire slayer and a recently bitten passenger.
The film places vampire mythology in Arizona desert roads and an early 2000s youth-oriented action setting rather than a traditional gothic world.
Megan's recent bite and the film's explicit AIDS-metaphor discussion make transmission and feared transformation central motifs.
The Arizona desert, full-moon travel, vehicles, and roadside confrontations shape the film's atmosphere and staging.
Films like The Forsaken, and why
Near Dark
road movie structure, youthful vampire hunters, and gritty genre revisionism
The Hitcher
hitchhiker encounter, desert road suspense, and predatory horror
Dracula 2000
stylish contemporary vampire mythology, action horror, and youthful ensemble energy
John Carpenter's Vampires
road-bound vampire hunting, violent genre pulp, and queer subtext
Movie Details
- Director
- J.S. Cardone
- Release Date
- 2001-04-27
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.4 / 10 (180)
Cast
- Kerr Smith
- Brendan Fehr
- Izabella Miko
- Johnathon Schaech
- Phina Oruche
- Simon Rex
- Carrie Snodgress
- Alexis Thorpe
- Frederick Flynn
- Beth Ann Styne
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Forsaken about?
- A stranded traveler joins a vampire hunter and a newly bitten woman on a dangerous desert road hunt against a ruthless undead leader.
- What is The Forsaken like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Forsaken as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Forsaken violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Forsaken as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Forsaken?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an overly familiar and amateurish vampire hybrid that spends its shocks too early and lacks the genre pleasures it tries to revise.
- Which films are like The Forsaken?
- Films with a similar feel include Near Dark, The Hitcher, Dracula 2000, and John Carpenter's Vampires.
- How long is The Forsaken?
- The Forsaken runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Forsaken?
- In United States, The Forsaken is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
