Carmilla Vive! (2023) is the no-budget feature film follow-up to the award-winning Modern Gothic vampire film Carmilla (2015). In Carmilla, our hero is fleeing religious persecution in France. Carmilla travels down the Mississippi River with one of the early French expeditions of the “new continent,” entertaining her fellow voyageurs with ancient stories of pagan goddesses and warrior women. When a priest overhears Carmilla’s stories, he condemns her as a heretic and has her buried alive. Over three centuries later, Carmilla rises from her grave in Northern Iowa and seeks revenge on a small rural community. In many ways, Carmilla Vive! is not a sequel but a re-imagining of the story, themes, and the central character Carmilla. CARMILLA VIVE! This time, the vampire Carmilla is a pop singer searching for Laura/Ostara, the setting is Chicago, and trolls are about to confront their worst nightmares. Though on the surface, Carmilla Vive! is a horror film, the central focus of the narrative is a love story between Carmilla and Laura. The two, joined by Brigid and Kara, battle with legions of trolls who exist online and in the physical world. It will not be the apocalypse you expect! “This genre effort packs a lot of delights, but at its core it is a subtle film – which is very rewarding.” The Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards.