The concept is promising. As soon as it begins, the film is not.

Even putting aside the "found footage" framing, the stylization is frankly obnoxious. This includes the shoddy camerawork, the editing, and the direction; the insistence on extra close-up shots is especially aggravating and comes off as amateurish. Dialogue and characters are at best bland if not outright annoying, and the pace is brusque and rushed. Within the first fifteen minutes we're informed of the death of "Eddie" but are given no reason to care about him, and the beat is forced onto us so quickly that other characters' mourning doesn't even feel real. To be blunt, so it goes for pretty much everything else that is to follow in the next 75 minutes: scenes that should be inspiring or titillating fall flat owing to emphatically poor and overzealous execution. 'Vampire diary' is a broadly unlikable mess.

Would I like the cast more if I saw them in another feature? Would filmmaker Phil O'Shea, or co-director Mark James, demonstrate their capabilities elsewhere if I looked for other instances of their work? I'd like to think so. This specific movie, however, is irritating on almost every level, in almost every regard. I like the music, at least; though it's a tad overdone, I appreciate the work put in by the hair and makeup artists, and costume design. Yet these are not elements that can remotely begin to carry a picture. There are good ideas scattered throughout the length, but they feel plainly insufficient.

So what do we have, then, in terms of value? Good ideas that aren't done well, and passable rounding details that are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things? I think I tend to be very generous and open-minded when it comes to cinema, but even I struggle to describe 'Vampire diary' as something more than Rock Bottom. The plot and scene writing somewhat improve as the length progresses, but also feel haphazard at times; in any case, it's not enough to substantively make a difference, and the title is overlong regardless. Whether you're looking for a lesbian romance, a vampire flick, or a found-footage romp, there are many more much better films you can watch, and unless you're desperate, this sadly isn't particularly worth your time. I want to say that I like it more than I do, but style overshadows substance, and the style is awful.

This film should be very average, it is massively derivative and amateurish - BUT it is in fact excellent as both a Vampire horror and as a Lesbian romance. The rawness of the direction is in fact a huge plus and combines Jose Ramon Larraz's 'Vampyres' and 'The Blair Witch Project' transposed to an urban setting. The conceit of using the documentary-making format is trotted out again so that amateur acting can be passed off as realism. And yet - the energy and enthusiasm of cast and crew carry the film along to its satisfying conclusion. One can only hope that when or if this gets a release in the USA it is not censored out of existence.

Just caught Vampire Diary at a friend's house video projected on the garage wall at a party – Its pretty cool! We weren't expecting much more than a lesbian vampire flick but actually it was a bit of a surprise - edgy weird and scary – Don't expect any expensive effects - instead you get the feeling you're with real people in a real situation. Its a bit arty but there are plenty of shocks and blood! It takes a little time to understand quite where it's coming from but if you think Blair Witch with Vampires you won't go too far wrong. Vampire Diary is shot as if by Holly a documentary filmmaker exploring the 'weekend vampire' scene. It's a clever use of POV – or Point of View – just like in Blair Witch and even the new film Cloverfield. It means the films a bit slow in parts – as the camera is just put down and shoots whatever is happening! It works well though and gives the whole film a kind of 'home movie on acid' feel! Its quite spooky in parts too. Holly encounters Vicki - the stunning Anna Walton who is nothing like the other 'week-enders.' In fact she quickly shows disturbing signs that she is a real vampire! Despite this she and Holly fall for each other as Holly's friends start to disappear. Then Vicki has a big surprise for Holly and they go on the run! The ending is pretty out there – but there's lots of great Goth - rock music by bands like Interlock, Fields of the Nephilim, NFD, and others. (Someone should release a soundtrack CD??) With Anna Walton about to appear in Hellboy II and Mutant Chronicles - Vampire Diary is maybe set to be a cult classic!