Umbrage starts it's tale in the old wild west. A lone cowboy rolls into town with the aim of taking out his target. In the process he is attacked by a vampiress who leaves him bloodied and mauled. Cut to modern day, Jacob (Doug Bradley) and his wife Lauren, together with Jacob's stepdaughter Rachel have moved out to their new home, way out in the countryside. Jacob brings along an ancient and priceless mirror that he plans to sell on and make a fortune. Well strange things start to happen when a camper and a mysterious ornithologist woman show up at their door after one of their friends is slaughtered. A night of terror ensues as the the family and co find themselves under siege from dark, shadowy forces. If that was'nt enough there's a strange cowboy figure stalking the house, looking for something but just what is it?

Umbrage: The First Vampire is one of those unusual horror flicks that cross's multiple styles to create something unique. The  mixture of the old wild west and modern day English-ism works to create a viewing experience that i've never quite seen before.

The main cowboy vampire Phelan, who just so happens to be Irish, is performed brilliantly by actor Jonnie Hurn. The machinations of his character are fleshed out convincingly and definitely elevate the movie in terms of it's intrigue. Without a doubt though the best performance of the movie goes to Doug Bradley as stepfather/ husband Jacob. The poor man doesn't know what to do with himself when the shit starts hitting the fan and Bradley's portrayal really does stand out head above shoulders of the rest of the cast. We're so used to seeing him as Pinhead that when he plays more 'earthy' characters you would be forgiven for thinking it's an entirely different actor altogether. The rest of the cast are solid also, i really couldn't say anybody was crap, not in the slightest.

Umbrage doesn't stack heavy in the gore department sadly, though there are a couple of scenes that're definitely quite grizzly, SPOILER! such as a guy getting his dick torn off however what is there is done well. Scares wise, Umbrage has a dark atmosphere and it makes for an unnerving watch indeed. There are very few moments that'll have you jumping out of your seat but the closed/ trapped feeling that the movie instigates is enough in itself. This combined with the dark mysteriousness of the movies storyline make for a riveting watch indeed!

Like most good horror movies there's a couple of token nude scenes for the guys revolving around the movies main antagonist. I won't spoil things here.

The movie has an unusual slow drawn out pace, this is especially true at the beginning but it never seems to feel like it's dragging along. This is a good sign, it says the characters/ story are intriguing enough to hold you even though at times nothing is happening.

Without a doubt Umbrage: The First Vampire gave me one of the most dark and stylish viewings that i've had in a while. Recommended wholeheartedly. Umbrage: The First Vampire is released in the UK via Left Films on October the 10th.