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In JAKOB’S WIFE (available on DVD and Blu-ray July 20, 2021), Anne (Barbara Crampton) is married to a small-town minister and feels like her life and marriage have been shrinking over the past 30 years. After a chance encounter with “The Master,” she discovers a new sense of power and an appetite to live bigger and bolder than before. As Anne is increasingly torn between her enticing new existence and her life before, the body count grows and Jakob realizes he will have to fight for the wife he took for granted.
Directed by Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor), he co-wrote the film with Mark Steensland and Kathy Charles. JAKOB’S WIFE stars Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, You're Next), Larry Fessenden (Habit, Stake Land), Nyisha Bell (Coming 2 America), Mark Kelly (The Hot Zone), Sarah Lind (Wolfcop), Robert Rusler (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Vamp), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun, The Conjuring 2) and former WWE wrestler, Phil Brooks, aka CM Punk (Girl on the Third Floor).
Barbara Crampton portrays Anne Fedder, wife of small-town minister Jakob Fedder (Larry Fessenden). Anne seems to be in the midst of a mid-ish life crisis and is questioning her whole life, which includes her marriage to Jakob (and frankly, she seems completely out of his league right off the bat). He's rude, condescending, and misogynistic. He continually interrupts her in front of peers and has the continual need to be the center of attention, primarily because he's the town minister. Did someone say, narcissist?
Anne has dutifully been a diligent and obedient pastor's wife for over thirty years and is becoming exhausted by the whole jam. She eventually meets up with a high school sweetheart, Tom Low (Robert Rusler), and after some dinner chow, they head to an abandoned gin mill that is slated to be converted into a retail and housing expansion.
At the mill, Anne and Tom hit it off in more ways than one, but Anne feels awful about the situation and pumps the breaks. Some "spoiler" events occur and we meet a strange, apparent apparition, called “The Master” who's chilling out in the mill and immediately alters Anne’s existence by transforming her into a vampire. Anne seems to be okay with this transformation as it is a welcome change in her life that she's been longing for.
As you might have guessed, Vamp-Anne and Jakob are no longer on the same page.
Chalk up a mark in the positive category for the practical blood and make-up effects in this fun ride. They are done well here, reminiscent of 80s horror flicks we live so much. Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden have good on-screen chemistry.
Jakob's Wife delivers some slick social commentary surrounding legalism and misogyny in the church while boosting the feminist empowerment trope - and vampires. Director Travis Stevens follows up his successful 2019 indie horror film 'Girl on the Third Floor' (if you haven't seen it, go track it down now) with a fun take on the vampiric world and the church. Be sure not to sleep too long in the coffin on this one.
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