Saltburn: so, Emerald Fennell’s latest movie is really a vampiric horror, right?

Needless to say, I went in joking to Marina Licht that it looked pretty much like a nod to the Andrew McCarthy/Rob Lowe/Jacqueline Bisset film “Class,” in which a lower-income student is shown a taste of the high life by his affluent roommate inviting him to visit his fancy home in the country. Instead, I finished the movie thinking this is perhaps “The Talented Mr Ripley” for the TikTok generation, given they both deal with the concept of identity and aspiration. 

The most shocking, transgressive moments of the feature, starring Barry Keoghan in incredible form as “normy” Oliver and Jacob Elordi as the affluence Felix, have all been doing the rounds on TikTok, with some viewing the sex scene with Venetia for example as pushing the envelope in terms of sexual activity on-screen (like how HBO’s “Girls” brought “rimming” to households one season) and other just wondering why Fennell would lower herself to such stunts as she is “better than that.”

But while people still are considering if “Saltburn” is a psychological thriller, a black comedy or a gritty “Skins” like examination of privilege, wealth and the eternal struggle for fame and fortune, I thought it was a horror movie in the end; not just any old slasher either, I honestly felt like it had a lot of a vampiric horror throughout the film. Even during interviews Fennell gave in October 2023, she admitted that there was a "vampiric element" to the work, and the Oliver/Venetia scene is being referred to as "the vampire scene." So, is the polarizing nature of "Saltburn" because it's too dark to be a comedy, but not enough to be considered a horror? Why should it be considered a horror, more importantly?

Why “Saltburn” should be considered a horror movie

“That” sex scene between Oliver and Venetia/the bathtub moment

I mean, it goes without saying - Oliver admitted to Venetia when she revealed it was her time of the month and she couldn’t sexually engage with the visitor that it was a good job he was a “f**king vampire,” proceeding to then indulge in one of the more shocking moments of the film. Cue a very artful, almost Anne Rice shot of Oliver submerging himself into a bathtub with blood all around his mouth - your imagination can make up the rest.

Then there is the moment after Felix had pleasured himself in a full bathtub, leading Oliver to erotically tongue the remaining water and the plug hole where his University friend had bathed. Blood and semen have long been considered two forms of “life force,” which in history vampires have been drawn to - the more young and nubile, the better.

“That” scene involving a freshly dug grave.

This might be a stretch, but hear me out - that other infamous scene involving Oliver at the freshly buried grave of Felix might not seem “vampiric,” but consider this if you will. In some vampiric folklore, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a vampire usually sleeps in sacred dirt - in Dracula’s case, from his home in Transylvania. 

It might not be too hard of a reach then that the actions of Oliver, in his state after the funeral, decided to embrace the freshly dug earth to feel a sense of comfort that his first vampiric pursuit (that we know of) has died; that feeling, however, might have made way to more lust for the recently dead… if you know the scene in question, you know.

Oliver’s demeanour during the day versus during the night

Did you notice that during the day and around most of the other guests at Saltburn, Oliver came across as a somewhat socially awkward individual who almost felt more at home as a wallflower than an Oxford University student? Then, around dusk, his attitude changes to something more confident and sinister - as shown in his conversations with Venetia and Elspeth and his molesting of Farleigh. 

What is the most obvious trope when it comes to vampires? They don’t like sunlight - and though Oliver is seen on numerous occasions on the grounds of Saltburn during the day, his demeanour is completely different to that of his nocturnal habits. But don’t vampires burn in the sunlight? Some vampires, unless you happen to be a certain type of vampire.

A vampire but not in the traditional sense

Oliver isn’t simply a regular, “run of the mill” vampire in the historical sense, but instead should be considered an emotional/energy vampire; akin to Colin Robinson in FX’s “What We Do In The Shadows.” Energy vampires, rather than sucking on the blood of others, instead feed off the emotions and energy of their chosen prey - and given the sordid moments within the ground of Saltburn and the machinations of the Catton family, plenty of drama and emotions to feed off.

It’s interesting to note that of the majority of the characters that Oliver interacts with, both Pamela (played by Carey Mulligan) and Sir James (Richard E. Grant) are two he doesn’t have too much to do with. Could it be a coincidence that neither of them seemed emotionally there compared to the other characters?

Or was Oliver’s sad look when it was revealed Pamela had died not one of sadness, but one of regret that he could not feed off her and the dramas she would discuss before unceremoniously being killed off-screen?

Where can I watch “Saltburn” in the United Kingdom?

“Saltburn” is available to stream now on Prime Video (subscription required)