Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Two friends' tour of Europe takes a dark turn when one of them contracts a mysterious illness. They race to find out what it is and how to cure it before the sickness consumes him completely.
Afflicted is a competent and energetic found-footage vampire film that stands out for its kinetic action sequences and committed lead performances from the two directors who also star. The film blends the found-footage format with superhero-style transformation in a fresh enough way to distinguish it from genre peers, and the European travelogue backdrop adds texture. However, the plot grows increasingly thin as it progresses, leaning heavily on genre mechanics once the vampire premise is established, and the ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying — failing to deliver meaningful resolution or emotional payoff. Cinematography is impressively dynamic for its budget, using GoPro and handheld work creatively during action scenes, though it remains constrained by found-footage conventions. Novelty gets a modest bump for the superhuman-powers spin on the subgenre, but it doesn't fully transcend its derivative foundations.