A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a stylish, genre-bending fable set in the bleak, windblown wasteland of “Bad City.” Shot in stark black-and-white with a hypnotic, modern soundtrack, the film mixes drama, horror and romance to tell a minimalist, moody vampire story: a lonely, unnamed female vampire prowls the town’s seedy streets like a vigilante, preying on men she judges corrupt, while a shy young man named Arash struggles with family dysfunction, debt and the temptations of the streets. The plot is simple and spare but emotionally resonant. When Arash crosses paths with the vampire she quietly changes the dynamics of both their lives: their tentative connection opens a fragile possibility of tenderness and escape amid brutality. Along the way you’ll meet a cast of damaged characters — a drug-addicted father, a violent dealer, a prostituted woman — whose lives intertwine with the vampire’s quiet, deadly justice. The film uses small gestures (a stray cat, a pair of earrings, Dracula-costume party props) as recurring motifs to build atmosphere and meaning. Viewers should expect a slow-burning, visually driven experience rather than a conventional horror thrill ride. The movie leans on mood, composition and a pulsing soundtrack: long, haunting takes, shadowy noir frames, and a blend of western and gothic iconography give the film an otherworldly, almost poetic feel. Violence is present and occasionally brutal, but it’s balanced by moments of tenderness, awkward youthful yearning, and darkly comic touches. If you like films that prioritize style, atmosphere and theme over explicit exposition — a modern, Iranian-inflected vampire fable that feels equal parts spaghetti western, arthouse romance and midnight horror — this film will reward you. Expect to come away with a lingering mood: lonely nights, ambiguous hope, and a strangely beautiful portrait of two damaged people trying to find connection in a desolate place.

Actors: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

Runtime: 101 min

Genres: Drama, Horror, Romance

6.3 /10 81 /100 6.9 /10 7.1 /10