''Eternal Blood'' (originally ''Sangre Eterna'') is a 2002 Chilean

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Jorge Olguín, written by Carolina García and Olguín, and starring Blanca Lewin, Juan Pablo Ogalde,

Patricia López Patricia Javiera López Menadier (born July 10, 1977 Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's cen ...

, and Claudio Espinoza. A group of vampire enthusiasts become convinced that their subculture has been infiltrated by real vampires.

Plot

M introduces Carmila, a journalism student, to the world of

Goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. Post-punk artists who presaged the gothic rock genre and helped develo ...

and

live action role-playing A live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their character (arts), characters.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of ...

. As Carmila becomes more involved, M becomes increasingly concerned about her safety. Eventually, M becomes convinced that real vampires have infiltrated the subculture and are feeding on its enthusiasts. M becomes determined to stop the vampires, believing they are led by a man named Dahmer, although others begin to question his sanity.

Cast

* Blanca Lewin as Carmila * Juan Pablo Ogalde as M * Pascale Litvak as Pancha *

as Elizabeth * Claudio Espinoza as Martin * Carlos Borquez as Dahmer The model

Ximena Huilipán Ximena Huilipán Muñoz (born September 19, 1986) is a Chilean model and actress of Mapuche descent. Career At 14 years of age, Huilipán won the Elite Model Look Chile 2002 contest.

has a non-speaking role. She was cast after director Jorge Olguín spotted her in a parade.

Release

Under its original name of ''Sangre Eterna'', it premiered in Chile on October 31, 2002. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that it became a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

and one of the highest grossing Latin American horror films.

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

described it as "the biggest box office hit in the history of Chilean cinema." After the Chilean premiere, it played in Latin American and European film festivals, and a DVD was released in Chile in March 2003.

Fangoria Films Fangoria Films is a film producer, film production and film distributor, distribution company based out of New York City, New York. It is a subsidiary of Fangoria (magazine), Fangoria Entertainment, which encompasses various branches of Starlog's ...

released it in the United States as ''Eternal Blood''.

Reception

The film opened to critical acclaim in Chile. Mike Long of

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

rated it 2.5/5 stars wrote that "the first 40 minutes ... are riveting", but "the movie goes from clever and interesting to slow and boring." Beyond Hollywood wrote that the film is creative but lacks originality.

Awards

''Eternal Blood'' won Best Special Effects in the

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since ...

. At

Screamfest Horror Film Festival Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a horror film festival founded by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in August 2001. It runs over ten days during the month of October and is hosted at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles, Ca ...

, it won Best Actor and Best FX Make-Up.

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes 2002 films 2002 horror films Chilean independent films Vampire films Films set in Chile Films shot in Chile Chilean horror films 2000s Chilean films