A while back I came across an independent horror film, Midnight Son. I was intrigued by the different take on the vampire story, and that certain aspects of it reminded me of George Romero’s “vampire” film Martin from the 1970s. Today I received an update from the makers of the film letting me know that it is now available on DVD and Digital Download in the U.S. & Canada. (Image Entertainment is handling U.S. distribution, while Mongrel Media is handling Canada.) The DVD should be available in Walmart stores across the U.S., and also online at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Frys.com, and more. Digital Downloads are available from iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow, Playstation Store, Xbox Marketplace, and YouTube.

The media kit includes a synopsis of the film:

MIDNIGHT SON is the story of Jacob, a young man confined to a life of isolation, due to a rare skin disorder that prevents him from being exposed to sunlight. His world opens up when he meets Mary, a local bartender, and falls in love. Tragically, Jacob’s actions become increasingly bizarre as he struggles to cope with the effects of his worsening condition. Forced by the disease to drink human blood for sustenance, he must control his increasingly violent tendencies as local law enforcement narrow their focus on him as a suspect in a series of grisly murders.

The kit also includes an interview with the writer/director Scott Leberecht. Following are excerpts from that interview:

Tell us a little about the origins of MIDNIGHT SON, from concept to financing.

When I lived in San Francisco, there was an old house I walked past every day that was boarded up and seemingly abandoned. The odd thing was that someone had covered the windows (from the inside) with whimsical paintings of trees and rainbow landscapes. I imagined a person trapped inside that could not come out, trying to connect with people passing by– someone who perhaps could not be exposed to sunlight, and was very lonely. At that point I realized I had never really seen a vampire film that depicted the physical condition as something debilitating and tragic, as opposed to empowering or romantic.

Vampire films have been the “IT” topic on the big and small screens these days, with much criticism of certain sparkly vampires. You return the genre to its original horror, but how would you say MIDNIGHT SON is different from any other vampire film out today?

One aspect I struggled with was explaining the origin of his condition. Contracting the disease by being bitten felt cliché and derivative of other vampire movies. I wanted my character to be the victim of his own body. Congenital illness, puberty, sexual attraction, and love are all things that happen to us from the inside out. We generally dislike being at the mercy of anything, but when the thing we don’t want emanates from within, our self-image shatters. We must cope with a new set of rules, and our identity is temporarily on hold. These are very scary moments in life. I think the mysterious origin of his illness makes MIDNIGHT SON unique.

In your own words, why should people see MIDNIGHT SON?

MIDNIGHT SON is what I would call a “thinking man’s horror film”. I can’t enjoy movies targeted to teens, so it’s hard for me to find anything that plumbs the depths of human fear in a way that moves me. People should see it if they are looking for a mature, sensitive story that also appeals to the monster-movie-loving kid inside us all.

You can visit Midnight Son‘s Facebook page and website for more information.