Eternal

I saw the movie at the fantasia film festival. It was an astonishing display of imagery and it explored the far corners of sensuality.

Though the story takes place in the present, it does not distort the integrity bathory's history. Consequently eternal demonstrates a sophisticated, distinct, and emotionally involving twist.

If there are any movies i can compare this to, I would have to say, basic instinct and silence of the Lambs (suspense); Eyes wide shut (imagery).

Appartently this is the first of a trilogy and now I am hooked for the second installment.

Eternal tells the tale of the second most well-known vampire, who has his or her origins in real historical people. In this case that person is Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a Hungarian noblewoman who reputedly bathed in the blood of beautiful virgin women in order to keep her youth. And like Dracula in many stories, she has survived to the modern day, hiding in the shadows cast by the world of man.

Unfortunately, just like many other vampire movies, it's not all that great. Mainly because of the poor quality of the script and the actors. Both are obviously doing their best, but it's not enough and the harsh reality that you're watching a movie always shines through. The story also never rises above clichéd murder mystery and the needless change to exotic locations feels more like pandering and following the dotted line than it feels like an actual way to move the story forward.

The biggest problems however is that the story is dull. It has no bite behind it, no soul that would hook you in. And frankly that might have been avoided if they had had the guts to make an honest N-17 film. And I'm not saying that just because I want to see more naked ladies - although I do. But the original story itself is heavy with sexual themes, many many horrible murders and the utter corruption of a mortal woman. To put it another way, look at the cover of the film and tell me that it wouldn't feel more at home in a N-17 movie. That way the film would at least have more crunch to arouse the interest of its audience.

All that being said, I've seen worse vampire films in my lifetime. The actors are not very good, but they're not horrible. The script is lackadaisical, but it's trying. There is some good imagery, the sets are nice and I don't regret seeing it.

I'm a sucker for vampire movies. I gotta see them. When I saw it was an erotic vampire movie, it shot up to #1 on my must see list. And I was not disappointed. And since the movie was shot primarily in Montreal, I got a good laugh trying to figure out where the shots came from. Basically, the vamp does her thing (sucking and killing ladies), kills somebody personal to the main cop in question, and he goes to great lengths to catch her. The plot is fairly straight forward, but the film stands out visually. Great looking sets. And if you want to see some beautiful ladies, you've come to the right movie. The vamp is hot, her assistant is hot, and even the wives of the cops are hot. Here are my 3 points to ponder:

1. The vamp, Caroline Neron, is a stone cold fox.

2. The first scene is probably one of the hottest scenes you will ever see in a movie.

3. Did I mention that Caroline Neron is babe? I cannot stress that enough.

I had the pleasure to attend the screening of Eternal during the Fantasia Film Festival, in Montreal. I had been reading bits and pieces in Fangoria and the Dvdvampire.com about the production of this film and, I have to admit, I was expecting another run-of-the-mill, B vamp-flick. Vampire films have come to be quite predictable and it is more and more difficult to find an original offering. We either get a slam-bang SFX extravaganza, a la Blade or Underworld, or we get a period piece, a la Dracula.

I found Eternal to be so unique, that I have a hard time calling it a vampire film or even defining its genre. But this is one damn'd sexy thriller! It has been a long time since anything related with vampirism turned me on, kept me on the edge of my seat and even legitimately scared me a couple of times (although this is certainly not a horror film). It has even been longer since I got to see a serious erotic thriller, with a seductive serial killer thrown in as a bonus.

Elizabeth Kane, played by Canadian actress Caroline Neron can rip my throat any time. So can her lovely assistant, Irina, played by the dark and sensual Victoria Sanchez. Conrad Pla, as the twisted detective Ray Pope, is riveting in his portrayal of a bad seed with morbid hidden sexual desires. Not an easy or typical role.

Because of its original take on the genre, I have no idea what mainstream media will say about Eternal when it hits the screens, but, take it from me and the crowd at Fantasia: This is one thriller you don't want to miss!

Sometimes you tend to say you like films because they're entertaining. Doesn't mean they're good. But you liked them. This one falls under that category. Entertaining, but not "good".

Canadian horror movies are rare. Quebec horror movies are even rarer. Vampire movies though, are common. So is this common or new? New in Quebec, old elsewhere, perhaps.

Dracula's a woman. A sexy woman. She's a lesbian. She doesn't seem to have any special powers other than being sexy. Guys fall for her, girls can't resist her and she likes her dog(?!).

I have to say it was elegantly filmed, the locations were very beautiful, the acting is good, but the characters are hard to believe. The policeman, Ray, is cliché after cliché.

It is not scary, it is not new, but i've been turned on since the beginning. So i guess it works...