Theresa & Allison: When Darkness Met Desire on Screen
As Theresa & Allison began generating a bit of buzz in the indie movie circuit prior to its release, very few could have anticipated its phenomenal reception as the most talked-about erotic horror drama of the year. Directed by Jeremiah Kipp, the 2019 film promised something far more provocative than mere sensuality, more importantly, a confrontation. It whispered to the viewers about power, blood, and consent, and audaciously made them uncomfortable, something most mainstream films would never risk. Long before the film was made available on streaming platforms, fans were already split, as some were predicting it to be exploitative of shock value, while others were claiming it would be a bold examination of taboo intimacy.
The Hype Before the Bite
Just the film title Theresa & Allison was enough to create a sense of curiosity. Early teasers of the film showed glimpses of blood, moonlit seduction, and two women in a bond that was dangerously magnetic. It was the perfect horror picnic. Social media was a buzz with comparisons to Interview with the Vampire and Let the Right One In, but earliest viewers felt it was something far more primal and intimate.
Kipp’s involvement captured the attention of fans of underground horror, as he had established a reputation for creating emotionally poignant and visually haunting narratives. While the cast, comprised predominantly of independent film regulars, remained relatively unknown beyond niche circles, that anonymity actually worked to the film’s advantage. Without the burdens of celebrity surrounding the audience, empathy could be fully extended to each character–their pain, hunger, and surrender.
Curiosity surrounding the film was piqued early on in the festival circuit, when the film was termed ‘a vampire story without the glamour.’ Reviewers remarked on the absence of the usual tropes of immortal vampires and the story’s focus on fractured souls looking for elusive connections in the dark.
Love, Blood, and the Lonely City
The story begins in bleak, urban nightscapes where Theresa (a role played with aching vulnerability by Arielle Hope) lives in an existence suspended between a lifeless ‘living’ and a vampire existence. She’s a vampire but not the type that uses pleasure and power to gain seduction. She’s tired, isolated, and reluctant to even exist. When she meets Allison (made hauntingly real by Joanna Pickering), a mortal woman who seeks to escape from her own emptiness, they set in motion a relationship that blurs the lines between salvation and consumption.
Their bond develops through quiet exchanges, gentle touches, and then, violent surrender. It is less about lust and more about the need to be recognized, to feel, to belong. The film does not avoid the erotic, but every intimate moment is laden with emotions rather than mere provocation.
The story constructs itself around this contradiction: Theresa wishes to protect Allison from her world, yet her very essence guarantees she will destroy her. Meanwhile, Allison is attracted to Theresa’s darkness, for it is a reflection of her own. By the film’s midpoint, love and hunger become indistinguishable.
In one of the film’s most memorable moments, Theresa explains that she feeds not out of evil, but out of survival. “I don’t want your blood,” she whispers, “I want your silence.” This line, imbued with loneliness, encapsulates the entire emotional landscape of Theresa and Allison: the terror of being profoundly understood, and yet the profound wish for closeness.
The Characters Beneath the Pale Skin
Arielle Hope’s rendition of Theresa is a lesson in restraint. Instead of playing the vampire as a monster, she interprets the role as a survivor — quiet, watchful, and mired in guilt. At the time, Hope was just beginning to make a name for herself in the New York indie scene, balancing stage performances and short films. Although her decision to take on such an emotionally raw and physically demanding role was a gamble, it certainly paid off. Hope imbued Theresa with heartbreak, instead of horror, and in doing so grounded the fantasy in emotional realism, an achievement that garnered her critical praise.
In the case of Joanna Pickering’s Allison, it is the human perspective through which we encounter the supernatural. Prior to this film, Pickering was primarily known for her work in theatre and activism. She had written plays that focused on abusive relationships and sparked conversations around the autonomy of women. This real-life activism brought authenticity to her portrayal and elevated the character beyond the words on the page. Allison’s passivity is not a submission in weakness, but a rebellion against numbness, a request for something to feel, anything, even if it is pain.
The two performers were able to craft a bond that was both sensual and sorrowful in their performances. It was as if the camera captured something that was not intended for the scene — a trust based on mutual vulnerability.
A World Painted in Shadows and Stillness
In Theresa & Allison, Kipp and cinematographer Dominic Sivilli prioritize the film’s atmosphere. They built a visual style that captures a fever dream — from dimly-lit apartments and narrow hallways to streetlights flickering over pale faces. Every frame captures a sense of claustrophobia and mirrors the characters’ emotional imprisonment.
Sparseness in the film’s sound design gives way to the eerie. Silence, like a third character, stretches and is only broken by the city’s hum or soft deliberate breaths preceding a feeding scene. The editing leaves stillness longer and uncomfortably, forcing the viewer to be in the discomfort of the scene and a sense of unease, which is something we generally seek to escape.
Of course, not everything works. In the middle act, the pacing leaves something to be desired. The dialogue, especially in the longer stretches, can feel abstract, and disparate, and lend itself to the performance art more than the narrative art of cinema. There is a sense of charm in that, however. It also does not seek to entertain. It is, after all, meant to translate the emotions that Theresa is feeling. The drag of endless nights. The heaviness of need.
The Reality Behind the Reel
The intensity of the experience was felt by the cast and crew as well. They were on a very tight budget and, at times, had to shoot in real New York City apartments and with very little lighting. While a number of scenes, particularly the physical ones, were approached with great care with respect to safety, as well as emotional, the scenes were designed to be very safe and, in a number of, to a great extent, to awkward. It was reported that Pickering and Hope spent considerable time off-screen to prepare for the for the scenes to ensure a, strong and authentic performance that bordered on voyeuristic.
There were the problems. It was the problems with distribution for the headquarters of the team centre because of the distribution for the headquarters of the team because of the distribution for the headquarters of the team. The team were the problems with distribution of the team for the film centre around. The team were the problems with distribution for the headquarters of the team which because of the strong distribution with the headquarters of the team because of the strong distribution with the headquarters of the team which because of the strong films.
Both actresses later commented on how the film altered their views on intimacy in performance. Pickering stated intimacy was “a feminist act disguised as horror,” and Hope referred to it as “a film about loneliness more than love.”
The Unseen Controversies and Quiet Triumphs
Few people know that Theresa & Allison was first attacked by conservative audiences centered on the depiction of queer desire and vampirism. Some detractors claimed the film reinforced stereotypes, while others defended it as reclaiming female sexuality and sensuality. Kipp, the director, always defended his vision, explaining that in his film, horror came from emotional dependency, not the sexuality.
Another rumor was that there were creative disagreements during the editing phase. Kipp aimed for a slower, more meditative cut, while the producers were looking for a tighter pace that matched streaming audience expectations. Ultimately, the producers lost, and Kipp maintained the languid rhythm that has become the film’s signature.
Theresa & Allison is one of the few indie films to become a haunting and lingering piece that is not easily digestible, but is unforgettable.
More Than Blood and Fear
For those expecting horror or erotic escapism, Theresa & Allison deviated. It was an emotional mirror, reflecting the isolation, the connections, and the parts of ourselves we conceal, even from those we love. The unforgettable performances of Arielle Hope and Joanna Pickering, both of whom were emerging from different artistic trajectories, constituted the film’s lifeblood.
And perhaps that’s why, after many years, it continues to find new admirers. After all, despite the darkness that surrounds it, the film is ultimately about two souls reaching out in a world that endlessly devours all that is good, attempting to satiate the visceral hunger for love.
Watch Free Movies on MyFlixer-to.click