18 March, the first episode of the new Russian TV series was released on the START video service “Middle lane vampires” about a family of bloodsuckers from Smolensk. Starring - Yuri Stoyanov, Artyom Tkachenko, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, Gleb Kalyuzhny and other actors. Director - Anton Maslov, popular TV series creator “IP Pirogov” and “Hotel Eleon”. Ivan Afanasiev tells, how did the detective sitcom turn out, inspired by “Night watch” and “Real ghouls”.
Why is the figure of vampires in movies and TV shows so interesting to viewers and creators? maybe, it's about the attractiveness of the image: most often they, although they love to suck on human blood (well, who is not a sin for??), at the same time strong, empowered and beautiful. Ideal among monsters: not zombies - cannon fodder, not wild and creepy werewolves, dragons not too far from man, not ugly orcs; real aristocrats from the fantasy world.
Cult “Real ghouls”, released in 2014 year, were among the first to bring out a different, the image devoid of a romantic halo in the style of magical realism - vampires as renegades, marginals, forced to exist forever on the edge. fun, that at the same time the first well-known film about vampires as part of the human community appeared in Russia - speech, of course, about “Night watch”, which even Tarantino liked. therefore, if someone says, what “Middle lane vampires” spied a chip from “Real ghouls”, you can safely dig into his neck.
so, modern Smolensk. In the forest, they find three bloodless, cleaned out the corpse - similar crimes happened in Yaroslavl and Mytishchi near Moscow, that's why the capital investigator Ivan Zhalinsky comes to the city. Police captain Anna Ostroumova, who has taken up the investigation, does not welcome him too warmly - the chill in her tone is justified, because she has problems up to her throat because of this case. The thing is, that Anna is a vampire, and quite old. Even though it's still the same beautiful, like in the 1940s, when he turned her, saving from death, Svyatoslav Vernidubovich, newfound father and, perhaps, the oldest ghoul in the city, who has seen everything. Now in front of them and the whole vampire family (which also includes the doctor Jean Ivanovich who fought under Napoleon and the newly dedicated video blogger Zhenek) there is an important task: find and understand, who sucked blood from Smolensk gopniks. After all, the activities of vampires are watched by the Guardians - an ancient organization, keeping track of the balance between the worlds of people and bloodsuckers. And it is in their interests not to break this balance..
As seen, to “Night watch” plot “Middle lane vampires” have a lot more to do, than to “Real ghouls”, so it is better to remove the anti-plagiarism spears right away. Furthermore, if you really try to look for some borrowings, then to the new series START, claims should be rolled out first of all by Charles Addams, who invented the super popular TV series in the 1960s “Adams family”. “vampires” - specific sitcom, in which everything is built around the responsibility of the members of this unusual family for each other.
The center of the social unit is Svyatoslav, he is also the grandfather Slava performed by Yuri Stoyanov: this is one of two roles in an actor's career, which was written personally for him, and with him the pilot episode was shown in 2018 year at the festival “Pilot”. AND, judging by the available video materials, the authors' intention to return Yuri to replace Mikhail Efremov, for known reasons dropped out of the project during the filming of a full season, it was a very right decision. Together with the aura “Night Watch” at “Vampires” the absurdist spirit has penetrated “Small town”, and it suits him.
Svyatoslav Vernidubovich is a wonderful hero: old, life-weary ghoul in zipun, completely unadapted to life in modern society, which, as it seems at first glance, don't care at all. He's incredibly strong, can fly, able to transform into a rather creepy monster, and also has a completely murderous sense of misanthropic humor. Actually, grandfather Slava is a real intellectual and patriarch: it will tactfully fly over the freshly washed floor, so as not to get dirty with dirty shoes, ready to break everyone for his family, including the Guardians above him. Even the careless newbie Zhenya (Gleb Kalyuzhny, who has recently taken a liking to Russian TV series worse, than Petrov and Borisov - cinema), constantly giving them problems, he, although she constantly scolds for this and for this, will not give offense. Raised on old principles, he is not used to lisp, but, looking at him, it becomes clear, who are the true monsters in the series and why are vampires here sometimes much more human than people.
Although Stoyanov, of course, real star, which holds half the charm (with Efremov it would be a completely different movie), the rest of the characters did not disappoint either. Jean (Artyom Tkachenko, in this role, similar as a twin to Viago from “Real ghouls”) - the scoundrel, favorite women, whose ex-love is Olga, also a vampire, suspected of involvement in the killings in the woods. Olga herself with a wonderful patronymic Anvarovna (Olga Medynich) - spectacular vamp woman, theater director, escapist and only, who really enjoys their origins. Tortured by work Anna (Ekaterina Kuznetsova), able to read people's minds through body contact, - strong spirit and character self-female, the only one, whom is Slava's grandfather ready to really confide in?. Finally, young vampire Zhenyok, a kind of eyesore of a vampire family - a kind of jester pea, testing new abilities on himself and causing a lot of trouble.
properly, all interest is built on the relationship of the characters and humor - as for the detective, he, frankly, rather sluggish, in terms of full-fledged fantasy - too mundane (even vampires sip blood from ordinary plastic bottles). But you can definitely say, what “Middle lane vampires” can become the first swallow of fashion for other regions of Russia in the cinema, except Moscow, Peter and Yaroslavl, our second cinematic capital (this, by the way, fits perfectly with the latest news about the allocation of funds to support regional cinema).
Smolensk in the film is so original and colorful, although the characters sometimes stubbornly deny it, that after him there may be a desire to return tickets to bourgeois Cyprus and go to explore the Russian hinterland. And most importantly - finally, we have a new space in front of us, which, at first sight, not too different from the usual, but has its own, special charm, and in this case the word “provincial” hardly unethical. So we can say, what, contrary to their theme, this series is able to infuse fresh blood into the domestic serial content. And you definitely shouldn't be afraid of him - he will show his fangs only in a friendly smile..
