With Kevin Feige’s new “Blade” never made and Mahershala Ali left as its would-be star, filmmaker Samjad is charging into the half-vampire action arena with a blood-soaked alternative.
“Half,” an Indian vampire brawler directed by Samjad and co-written with Praveen Viswanath, follows twin siblings played by Ranjith Sajeev and Aiswarya Raj. After the pair are robbed and abandoned for dead on a highway, their half-vampire abilities allow them to recover — and set out on a brutal revenge mission against the gang responsible.
That stripped-down premise becomes a showcase for graphic violence, darkly funny mayhem and sharply staged combat. Very Tri Yulisman, the fight coordinator behind “The Raid 2” and “The Night Comes for Us,” orchestrated the film’s elaborate, bone-crunching action.
Although Samjad is a fan of “Blade,” he did not want to duplicate its approach. Instead, he built “Half” around a specific visual and physical challenge.
“What if we take a classic vampire action thriller and execute it in a completely raw, grounded way without a single frame of slow motion?” Samjad said. “That core idea felt so much fresher and visually exciting to me.”
A Vampire Movie With an Old-School Look
“Half” has already generated high-energy screenings during its TIFF Midnight Madness debut and at Fantastic Fest. Its fights are presented with clear, crisp imagery, and much of the action unfolds during the daytime — a notable creative choice for a story centered on vampire mythology.
While its combat has a modern intensity, Samjad wanted the movie’s visual language to recall an earlier filmmaking era. The production relied heavily on zoom lenses and hands-on camerawork rather than allowing specialized equipment to determine its style.
“We tried to make the film look like it was shot on an old camera in the olden way, with the old equipment and hard work,” he said. “Now we can achieve it through robotic cams and specialized equipment. Everything is there. But in the olden days, it had to be done through manual hands and panning and zooming.”
Samjad added that the team was pursuing the texture and energy of an ’80s- or ’90s-style movie. That aesthetic gives “Half” a deliberate throwback quality even as its fast-moving fights push the film forward.
An Extreme Shoot in the Desert
The production itself proved nearly as punishing as the action on screen. Samjad said the crew filmed in the middle of a desert, where the temperature could climb to 56 degrees Celsius, or 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
The intense heat was only one part of the problem. According to the director, seemingly clear conditions could transform within minutes as clouds arrived, rain began and flooding followed. During one stretch, the filmmakers constructed a small shop set beside a highway after checking a favorable weather forecast. A sudden hailstorm then swept away the set, along with tripods and other equipment.
“We faced this every time we shot,” Samjad said.
Filming also stopped after 10 days when, in Samjad’s account, conflict between India and Pakistan placed the production in danger. He said the cast and crew returned to their rooms and were evacuated, despite having no vehicle immediately available and being able to see missiles in the sky.
With help from the production, the team made it back to Keralam, described as a state in southwestern India. Two months later, after the conflict had ended, they returned to the same location and resumed filming.
Rewriting the Rules for Half-Vampires
Samjad also used the protagonists’ mixed nature to establish his own supernatural rules. Both twins possess a healing ability, but it stops working when they are exposed to sunlight. Unlike full vampires, however, they do not burn in the sun. Their injuries begin healing again once they move into shadow or darkness.
“That’s the power of half-vampires,” Samjad said. “Our half-vampire could be anything.”
The director said the creative team researched vampire traditions and drew from more than one source. Alongside European elements, they explored Indian vampire stories and older films, including black-and-white movies and titles from the 1970s and ’80s in which vampire-like beings appeared under different names.
By mixing those influences, “Half” establishes a mythology tailored to its revenge story — one that allows daylight battles while still making sunlight a meaningful limitation for its central characters.
What Happens Next?
Following its TIFF Midnight Madness and Fantastic Fest appearances, “Half” is set to screen at the upcoming Sitges Film Festival. The movie is still seeking U.S. distribution.