A new vampire film is quietly taking shape overseas, and if its premise is any indication, Crave is aiming for atmosphere and unease rather than familiar gothic comforts. Currently in production in Spain, Crave brings together a cast that spans genre veterans and rising talent, including Nell Verlaque, Jason Isaacs, Paulina Chávez, Kieron Moore, Eoin Macken, Alicia Sanz and Cedrick Cooper. Additional cast members include Corrado Martini, Alvise Rigo and Elisabeth Sanjuán.
The story centers on a grieving young woman haunted by her past, whose emotional vulnerability draws her toward a traveling carnival that arrives in her small town. What begins as fascination gradually becomes entrapment, as she is pulled into an underground world sustained by despair — one that feeds on suffering and demands a steep price from those who try to escape.
While the word “vampire” may conjure familiar imagery, Crave appears to frame its horror through psychological and emotional terrain. The synopsis emphasizes illusion, seduction, and exploitation, suggesting a form of vampirism rooted as much in emotional depletion as in blood.
Behind the camera, the film is being directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell, whose previous work (The Djinn, The Boy Behind the Door, Push) has often explored horror through claustrophobic spaces and intimate character-driven fear. The screenplay comes from Jason Filardi and Peter Filardi.
The film is being produced by Roger Corbi, Dominic Rustam, and Christian Mercuri, with Jason Filardi, Peter Filardi, and Roman Viaris serving as executive producers. Crave is an Asphyxia AIE production, with the participation of FishCorb, Westbury Road Productions and Capstone Studios, which is handling sales and distribution.
The project is launching at the European Film Market in Berlin, joining a slate of horror titles seeking international attention. While no release details have been announced yet, Crave’s combination of carnival imagery, emotional grief, and vampiric horror places it squarely within a long tradition of vampire stories that thrive on metaphor as much as menace.
For now, Crave remains a film to watch — one that suggests vampirism not as a curse of immortality, but as a system that feeds on loss, longing, and the human need to escape pain, no matter the cost.