'Jacob's Wife' follows a small town Minister's wife, Anne - a woman who becomes aware of how humdrum her life has become over the past 30 years. After encountering the Master, her life changes as she discovers a newfound sense of power, yet her new life also comes with new challenges.
Anne is presented as a timid and quiet woman, often interrupted and talked over by her husband, Jacob, the town Minister. Even though she has a normal life, it is clear Anne wants more, as she is not content with her marriage and routine life. As Anne is involved in re-working the town's old mill into a functional establishment, she reaches out to an old flame, Tom, to contract for the project. As the two visit the site, they flirt and kiss, until Anne ultimately tells Tom she cannot betray Jacob. Moments later, Tom is attacked by a swarm of rats, disfigured and killed almost immediately. Horrified Anne backs away until she is attacked by an unseen assailant. On returning home, she is quiet and distant from Jacob, rousing his suspicion that something is off.
As the days go on, Anne is discovering her new powers, and is also overcome with a terrible hunger. Realising she is drawn to blood, Anne purchases blood from the butcher, but discovers that it will not satiate her. In the meantime, Jacob follows up on his suspicions about Anne's fidelity, and inspects the old mill. There he is confronted by a couple of teens, one of whom is eventually killed by a recently gone missing girl who has recently been turned into a vampire. Growing more suspicious, Jacob is intent on confronting Anne, fearing she is unfaithful to him. However, he returns home to see Anne to have killed their neighbour. Jacob and Anne proceed to dispose of the body. They have a heart-to-heart and Anne opens up about not being heard. The two realise they have to face the Master, the being that turned Anne, in order to break her free from his spell. At the old mill, the two argue, with Anne expressing that she wants to be in charge of her own decisions, frustrated of being steam-rolled by Jacob in their everyday life. Without facing the Master, the two leave the old mill separately. On returning home, Jacob is controlled by the Master, and invites Anne to give into her baser urges and drink from Jacob. Overcoming her impulses, Anne and Jacob proceed to make love and come to terms with what is happening with Anne.
Later Anne and Jacob visit with a member of Jacob's congregation, who hasn't been heard from in a while. Discovering the old woman to have recently passed, the two take her body to be drained for Anne's needs. Later on the two decide thy must kill the Master, so Jacob proceeds to the mill, with Anne dealing with draining blood from the old woman. Being discovered by their friends, Anne and Jacob are held at gunpoint by the local sheriff and deputy back at their home, until the Master shows up. The Master invites Anne to consider the possibilities of her newfound powers, to leave behind who she used to be. Ultimately, Jacob drives a stake through the Master's chest, killing him. The police agree to record the incident as a domestic dispute. In closing, Anne and Jacob discuss leaving their town to start fresh. The two discuss how they are going to live, yet do not reach a conclusion on if Anne will be able to control her vampire urges, with the film closing on Anne revealing her fangs as Jacob grabs for a wooden stake.
On the surface 'Jacobs Wife' may appear strictly as a genre flick - a horror film for its own sake. However, after the initial predictable turns of the story where Anne is transformed, we are given an insightful and deeply touching exploration of how the protagonist feels. Anne is shown to slowly take back her voice, making sure Jacob is aware of how she feels. Through voicing her emotions and perspective on how the two should do things, she is imbued with a newfound sense of self, progressively feeling more confident in expressing her opinion.
In contrast to Anne's transformation, Jacob meets the changes with suspicion, finding Anne's behaviour odd, as he is concerned of her faithfulness to him. As the story progresses, the two manage to discuss that Anne is feeling unheard and stepped-on. Jacob hears her, yet is ultimately able to accept her changes. As the film draws to a close, with both characters discussing trust and Anne's ability to control her vampiric urges, the two appear to have reached an impasse, as based on Jacob's earlier behaviour (where he kills the Master), the Minister is still unable to let Anne have her say, therefore suggesting that even though the two have shared the better part of their lives together, they cannot come to terms with each other and their respective decision-making.
The pair do share moments of deep understanding and appreciation for one another, as when Anne is mad with hunger, yet refuses to drink Jacob's blood, or when Jacob comes to terms with abducting the recently passed elderly woman the two had found in order to feed Anne. These types of exchanges are most memorable, as they are both thrilling and filled with impeccably timed moments of levity, providing for the film to deliver both moments of tension and remain memorable as a comic flick.
The film does have moments where the budget restrictions can be felt, - returning to the same mill some four times does take away a little from the story, however, it is counterbalanced by the sound use of practical effects, with the film providing ample use of gore and blood, delivering gruesome kill scenes where Anne, or the other vampires are allowed to drink blood to their hearts content. The film also manages to maintain intrigue to its characters. On initial inspection the movie may sound like a run of the mill story about a bored housewife, rediscovering herself and taking down anyone that stands in her way. However, 'Jacob's Wife' is different and unexpected where the main character tries to work out her frustrations with her husband by discussing the issues rather than brutally putting an end to any discourse. This may sound like a drawback in a horror film, but manages to not take away a single iota of tension, horror and gore, as 'Jacob's Wife' manages to deliver more than enough in terms of dread and carnage.
The film is anchored by Barbara Crampton, who portrays Anne. Crampton's incredible transformation from a timid and almost spineless woman to an increasingly more self-assured individual is mesmerising to watch. The contrast between Anne at the beginning of her journey as opposed to the end just goes to show the incredible range that Crampton has, and the care with which she has presented her character. Even though the difference in Anne's character is like night and day at the start and finish of the film, Crampton also manages to maintain a certain humanity about herself, making Anne relatable at all points in the story.
To complement and contrast Crampton's performance, Larry Fessenden plays her husband, Jacob. As the church minister, Fessenden delivers a memorable performance, as the minister first seems to be a one-note individual, yet later proves to have more to him than meets the eye. As a man of the cloth, we expect him to be a god-fearing and mild-mannered person, yet he shows a more varied personality as he acts straight with a couple of delinquent teens, smokes weed with Anne to ease her hunger pangs and does what he believes needs to be done in dealing with the recently deceased congregant from his church. Together Crampton and Fessenden deliver a powerful and dynamic performance, as the two characters are not painted in purely black and white, maintaining a diversity of morally objectionable and justifiable actions and opinions.
'Jacob's Wife' is a worth-wile film to enjoy, as it provides a fresh take on the self-discovery journey in a horror film. Anne has an interesting journey from quiet church-mouse to becoming a self-assured individual. As she makes her way to uncovering super-human strength, realising her thirst for blood and dealing with the power the Master has over her, Anne provides a new perspective on dealing with her self esteem issues. As opposed to the usual gore-fest where vampires stake their claim for dominance through violence, Anne tries to work things out with her husband through being open and honest with him, talking about her concerns. Even though the conclusion of the story may not be what we expect, it only enhances the memorability of the flick and works well to incite a deeper discussion on women and their voices being heard.
Score: 3/4
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