Today is Bram Stoker's birthday and to celebrate we're going to look at the most unique film on this countdown list, and one which actually doesn't mention the word "vampire" once. This is Perfect Creature.
Perfect Creature is a 2006 film from New Zealand, and it currently ranks as one of the most expensive New Zealand films ever made, topped only by Lord of the Rings (of course) and one other film. Since I happen to have a friend who is from New Zealand, I decided to check in with her to see if this film is as odd as I think it is. "Steampunk, alchemy, religion, vampires... do you associate any of these words with New Zealand at all?" I asked. "Not really," she responded. Then, a few minutes later, she pulled up some incredibly intricate steam-punk crafts from New Zealand on her phone. Yes, apparently, there actually is a rather healthy Steampunk culture in New Zealand, especially in Oamaru (where there is a Steampunk art museum and "tourist destination"). "NZ steampunk!" she said, "Who knew?"
So maybe Perfect Creature isn't so weird for New Zealand after all. But it certainly is bizarre for a vampire movie! The story posits that, sometime in the Middle Ages, a group of alchemists discovered genetics very early on in history, making this story's world an alternate history to our own. This leads to a series of weaponized plagues and cures for those plagues, as well as some children to be born as "Brothers."
To the modern audience, it becomes clear that these "Brothers" fit our understanding of vampires: they are super-humanly agile and strong, practically immortal, and need human blood to survive. However, instead of hunting them down with stakes and garlic, the people of this alternate-history see the Brothers as genetic gifts from God. The Brothers become a religious order, the keepers of human health, and everyone goes to church in order to ritualistically donate blood. It's a very unique and fascinating idea. Also, in a flip of what made Wir Sind Nacht so interesting, like the name suggests "Brothers" are all male; for some reason, the genetic mutation of vampirism has historically only occurred in boys. This creates an even stronger parallel to a Catholic priesthood, which is reinforced by the story and aesthetic.
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| "Take, drink. This is my blood which is... oh, wait, no, this is your blood, isn't it? My bad." |
The main character of the film is played by Dougray Scott, an actor who I am liking more and more with every film I see him in, despite early memories of him in tights in 1998's Ever After. He does a great job of seeming not-quite-human here, though still with hints of human emotion, compassion, and temptation.
The Brothers are able to exist as watchers and guardians mostly because no one has ever seen them as a threat; even though they are super-humanly strong and agile, they have never attacked human beings. Until now. Scott's character, Silas, is on a hunt for his Brother (both in vampireness and literally born from the same mother) who has "gone rogue" and has been killing humans and drinking their blood. Silas has to team up with a human investigator to find his Brother, but there are clearly cover-ups and conspiracies along the way.
The tone and aesthetic of this film is just so bizarre and interesting. The world is dark and sooty, like it never left the Victorian-era even though there are 1920's cars and near-futuristic guns.
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| Ah, it's beautiful day in the neighborhood... |
Influenza is still a major problem, and people constantly look unwell and pale. In fact, Silas as a Brother looks the most healthy of all. It's the perfect setting for a Jack-the-Ripper-style story, which the hunt for Silas's brother sometimes seems to be.
Like many films that are unlike anything else, Perfect Creature isn't, well, perfect. The pacing is often odd (too rushed in some spots, slow in others) and the twists are occasionally confusing. I also couldn't help but feel like the emotional connections and growing relationships between characters could have been more thoroughly explored. However, this film is such a breathe of fresh (or sooty, steam-filled) air after watching so many vampire films that are derivatives of each other. It may not be perfect, but it is damn good.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 bites
("Almost there... stay on target..." The next review is the last one of the countdown! Stay tuned!)
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