Eternal

While Eternal is pretty much a murder-by-numbers suspenser with nothing overly unusual on the surface to polarize audiences, I have seen some extremely disparate reviews on this film — it’s either 1 sneering star, or an impassioned 10. I don’t feel that strongly about it, but I did like it quite a bit.

Eternal is an opulent-looking, erotic, quasi-vampire movie that’s reminiscent of the 1979 version of Dracula starring Frank Langella — it’s very much about lethal seduction, the desire for eternal life, and eluding justice. Although it starts off with a ‘based on a true story’ blip, Eternal is a horror/fantasy fashioned after historical figure Erzsébet “Elizabeth” Báthory (August 7, 1560 — August 14, 1613), the Hungarian countess who murdered 612 girls and women in order to bathe in their blood and soak in their youth.

The film opens at night on an opulent wooded, gated estate in Montreal, where a beautiful brunet with the username Wildcat (Sarah Manninen) has just arrived to fulfill some promises made in a naughty online chat-room. The lady of the manor, Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Néron), wines, dines, teases and tempts her latest conquest before brutally slashing Wildcat’s throat and immersing herself in the red tide.

Meanwhile, the chat-room chippy’s husband, Detective Raymond Pope (Conrad Pla), is enjoying a depraved sexual escapade of his own and is oblivious to her disappearance until it’s too late. Before long the stories intersect and Pope goes after Kane for the murder of his wife, Kane leading the chase from the mansion, to the city’s most dangerous upscale sex club, to a masked ball of death in Venice, Italy.

Shot on location in the above-mentioned Montreal and Venice, Eternal makes the most of its locations and sets. It’s a gorgeous film, stylishly lensed by Jamie Thompson and peopled with attractive leads. While Pla is not traditionally handsome, he’s got a bad-boy spark that is a nice foil to Néron’s sleek, catlike beauty. Playing the “Renfield” role (as a gothy girl called Irina) is a seething Victoria Sanchez, who pouts and preens as she noshes the scenery. The classic cars, exquisite attire and meticulously detailed props add immensely to the sensual atmosphere of Eternal.

There are lots of twists and turns throughout the story — none particularly unexpected, but fun nevertheless. Some of the characters do outrageously stupid things — but it’s a hoot to witness their passionate blunders. Some of the peripheral acting is rather weak; one character in particular is supposed to be a native Italian but sounds more like a cross between Father Guido Sarducci and Bob Marley — but Eternal doesn’t need to have a Shakespearian cast to get its point across; it’s about ambiance, not technical perfection.

Ably directed by first-time helming team Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez,

Eternal is a red-ripe, overwrought fetish feast that’s sure to entertain fans of the lush, romantisized vampire genre.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

Note: Eternal was released in Canada in 2004 and makes its North American debut in New York City next week on August 26. You can get the DVD on October 18, 2005.