Perfect Creature (2007)

Directed and Written by:
Glenn Standring

Set in a 1960’s steampunk-esque New Zealand (or Nuovo Zelandia), it uses a Catholic based mythology as its world’s basic ideology. Humans and vampires live side-by-side in this world, having signed a truce that means the vamps never feed on the humans in their midst. Instead, they obtain their blood through a religious ritual.

When Brother Silus, one of the vampire ‘priests’ discovers one of his kind has unleashed a nasty virus that is wiping out the humans, he realises the fragile balance between the species is at risk. He teams up with a human detective to hunt down the killer and they each try to educate the other about the impact this deadly vampire could have on their respective races. Their worlds collide with crushing force when the human cop becomes the evil brother’s next target.

The spectacular world-building and intense colour-pallet create a spooky, Gothic atmosphere. The international cast give solid performances despite the differences between their species not allowing much in the way of chemistry between the leads.