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Eternal (Mark's Take)
01/10/2005 . Source: Mark R. Leeper 
The notorious Countess Erzsebet Bathory has returned and is repeating her crimes in modern day Montreal. Eternal is a sexy and stylish horror thriller from Canada that unfortunately seems to be re-treading all-too-familiar territory. It gets points for its lavish production design, but very little for originality or real horror. Rating: +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10
Most people who would see a film like ETERNAL probably already know something about who the historic Countess Erzsebet Bathory was. The 16th and 17th Century Hungarian noblewoman (to use the term loosely) really existed and had the delusion that she could keep her youth by bathing in the blood of young women.
In this pursuit it is claimed she murdered and estimated 650 young women before she was recognized as a serious criminal and was imprisoned. The countess was portrayed in several European horror films, particularly during the 1970s. Ingrid Pitt played the title role in the best-known film version of her story, COUNTESS DRACULA, made by Hammer Films.
What may be a reincarnation or the still-living spirit of Bathory stalks Montreal Island in this new thriller written and directed by Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez. Elizabeth Kane (played by Caroline Néron) possesses a very ornate mansion in Montreal and uses computer chat rooms to attract lesbian lovers and invite them to her lair. There she makes love to them, graciously thanking them for their beauty, before slashing their throats. As the film opens, she is enjoying an assignation with a woman who signs her chat-room name, "Wildcat". Kane understands Wildcat instantly and sees immediately through Wildcat's little white lies about not being married and not having had lesbian encounters before.
But Kane misses one important detail before harvesting Wildcat. She was not only married, she was married to a homicide detective. Ray Pope (Conrad Pla) is as kinky as his wife was, choosing the wife of a partner for some S&M. When his wife, the former Wildcat, is found dead he has a vendetta and quickly collects enough information to suspect Kane.
From there the plot is a fairly familiar game of cat and mouse with Pope happily breaking the law and risking dismissal to get his revenge on Kane while Kane kills as many of the women in Pope's life that she can manage. Néron's exotic lesbian vampire is reminiscent of DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, though her assistant and victim-procurer Irina (Victoria Sanchez) is much less powerful than Sandor was in the earlier film.
The art direction by Massimo Antonello Geleng and Valma Pfaff is probably the best feature of the film. It adds mood to the earlier parts of the film, though it really comes into its own in the scenes later in the film set in Venice. Some of these scenes look like EYES WIDE SHUT might have inspired them.
It does more for the film than some of the direction which has its share of clichés like dark and stormy nights, false jumps, an angry Rottweiler, and over-use of camera filters to bathe scenes in yellow or blue. One can pretty much pick out who will be Kane's next victim without too many surprises.
Caroline Néron is satisfyingly attractive, but just does not have the exotic style that the film would call for. It is never clear what her connection to the Transylvanian countess was, but she seems entirely too Canadian. Conrad Pla does very little for me as her chief nemesis. He looks like Billy Zane but with a constant three-day growth of stubble from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin. I suppose that is what a post-modern hero looks like, but I still can lament that that is the case.
ETERNAL is polished, sexy, and entertaining, and the art direction is its best aspect. But it is not a film that will stick with the viewer. It is too similar to films like JACK'S BACK (about Jack the Ripper returning) and several others. I rate it a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10.
Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 2005 Mark R. Leeper
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