Who in hell marketed this movie? It's in a cheesy DVD case with badly drawn vampire fangs on the cover that practically scream "Don't rent me! I suck!" Not only that, it came out with no advertising or fanfare with a slew of other terrible direct to DVD horror films, virtually ensuring that it won't receive any publicity or sales and will die a quick death on the market. Which is a shame, because it's a stylish little fantasy effort with some interesting points to make about politics and absolute power. I feel it's my duty as a reviewer who scans the indie horror releases in hopes of finding little gems like this to let you know of its existence so that you can experience it, too.

Set not quite in the future, not quite in the past but in a sort of alternate reality version of 1930s England (certainly with more futuristic scientific equipment than was available back then) in a reality where the government controls every word that is spoken, reporters can be arrested for speaking out against the political agenda, and the police get to decide who deserves a lawyer and who doesn't. This world is a scary place. Not only that, but the "religion" of this country is led by a group known as "The Brotherhood." These are genetically evolved creatures that appear to be human, are all male, are born from human mothers and then ushered away into a life of service the moment they are discovered, and survive on a diet of human blood. That's right, The Brotherhood are vampires.

This is the way the world has functioned for the past 300 years (no mention is made of other countries, so for the sake of this movie, this sliver of society is all that appears to exist). The Brotherhood are behind all medical advancements, and while they are feared for their aberrant nature they have maintained a truce with mankind for the past 300 years because of their service to us. Until now.

See, one of the brotherhood, he's decided not to play by the rules and instead to run amok using his powers to destroy rather than to help humankind. As with all movies like this, nothing is as it first appears, and we see that the absolute power The Brotherhood have been given has given them leave to do with human life as they see fit. And while at first their intentions seem benevolent the point is made that killing even a few for the benefit of the many is perhaps not the best course of action. But the movie isn't just concerned with philosophical and political discourse, the main villain is charismatic and creepy. His bloody kills are intense and though everyone keeps talking about how insane he is, his insanity is often calm and calculating which makes it even more dangerous.

His blood lust and the disease it causes were the result of genetic experimentation as well, showing that even well-intended actions can have a dark side. The effects of classicism are evident as The Brotherhood live affluent lives (albeit enslaved to their "service" to mankind and unable to break free and find love or life outside the bounds of their society) is contrasted with the poverty and helplessness of the common folk who are dying in desperate states without money to protect themselves. Everything is dark and murky and rainy (apparently the sun never shines in this world) and while the outlook is bleak, hope comes in the form of those willing to take a stand against the political structure and fight for a better existence without killing some to ensure the advancements of others.

In the few reviews I've been able to find, people have complained that this movie is boring, and, well, it kind of is sometimes. It's very long-winded and never misses a chance to have the leader of the brotherhood deliver a long speech preaching his point. His eloquence becomes tiresome, particularly when he's defending terrible actions, and I think that's the point (you're not supposed to be on his side by the end of the movie), but it does give you the urge to fast forward at times while he's taking forever to get to the point. When the action scenes happen they're dead-on and exciting, so these monologues seem even more tiresome in comparison.

You'll see echoes of other popular horror, fantasy, and sci-fi movies, as well as a few graphic novels I could name while watching the movie. But despite its overzealousness the movie succeeds in being dark and creepy and engaging and it's thoroughly enjoyable. A cut above the other DTV movies with which it's often categorized, this one is well worth checking out.

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