There's a lot to dig in a flick like Eternal Blood (aka Sangre Eterna) primarily in that it's an ambitious second feature from 20 something Chilean filmmaker Jorge Olguin. The fact that Jorge is so young and also that Eternal Blood cost less than 150 grand to make is quite an accomplishment, to say the least. Now, this isn't to say that Eternal Blood is not without its problems as there are quite a few to contend with. However, when you consider how insipid and PC or kid friendly mega-plex horror is today in the US, Jorge is definitely light years beyond in his work. The problem with Eternal Blood is that it may just be a tad bit too ambitious, which once again, isn't necessarily a bad thing and easily improved upon.

The story of Eternal Blood centers around a group of close-knit friends who role-play vampire games. Led my the mysterious "M" (Juan Pablo Ogalde) they're always on the prowl for some new blood (if you know what I mean), but up until now it has all been innocent fun and games. When Carmilla (Blanca Lewin) is inducted into their social circle and a subsequent relationship with "M" ensues, things start to get a little wacky.

It isn't until the group gets sucked in by a young socialite (and a snappy dresser) named Dahmer (Carlos Borquez) that the line between fantasy and reality starts to blur beyond recognition. One by one the group is drawn into the world of a real life vampire cult, and it's up to "M" to try and stop the madness before it's too late.

As a new wave vampire flick, Eternal Blood is quite successful in its many attempts at making its mark in the world of horror. It doesn't succumb to the current trend of US horror with their constant attempts to be more like the original SCREAM and there's no self-referential horror crap to contend with either. On its own, Eternal Blood is smart, sometimes funny and in a few morbid instances...extremely bloody.

As Eternal Blood opens, the audience is thrown for a loop in a way that could literally make one's head spin in appreciation for its cleverness. I will not give away exactly what I am referring to because it would spoil the surprise, but believe me when I say that it's pretty damn cool. Unfortunately, from this point on the film kind of retains a downward spiral only to even out a few times along the way. The problem is that it continues to drop nearly falling flat on its face. It never quite reached rock bottom, but it does get pretty close in a few instances. Sometimes less is more and not every scene shot needs to make the final cut.

As a nearly 2-hour feature, Eternal Blood is about 1/2 hour too long. The film has some extremely inconsequential scenes that really should have been left on the cutting room floor As it stands now said scenes tend to drag down the action quite a bit. We're then brought back up again with pieces of the film that truly belong, only to be hit again with an extended scene once again that really isn't needed to drive the story further.

That said, Eternal Blood does have enough going for it to make it a recommendable flick. It's smartly written and directed with some really great camerawork and inventive editing techniques. For such a low budget production it looks quite polished and manages to retain a look that far exceeds its budgetary limitations.

The other determining factor that leads me to recommend Eternal Blood is the splatter factor, which is quite high in certain scenes. The gore and make-up effects remain quite impressive, as do some of the outrageous set pieces. The problem lies within the subsequent slow downs that tend to drag the ongoing action down a bit. In any event, cool vampire faces, flesh biting, high wire flying antics and nuns with guns on a city street make Eternal Blood a vampire flick worth checking out.

But what I really liked the most about Eternal Blood is the obvious raw talent that was working behind the scenes. Show me another 20-year old that can make a vampire flick that looks as good as this one. Probably not an easy task without handing over a flick that looks like a student film. One can see how Jorge can easily work himself into the director's chair permanently and only improve his skills over time. As it stands now, I really look forward to what Jorge has in store for us next. The primarily young cast all manage to pull of their roles with ease, despite the fact that we really never get a true chance to know each of them on the level that I would have liked. Despite the lack of character development all of the performances are fairly solid and quite believable.

The end result is a fairly smart if not all to leisurely paced vampire flick from an up and coming director that we should all keep an eye out for. If given the opportunity to have an Eternal Blood once over, I wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity. Despite it's flaws, it's a case of they don't make 'em like that here, so dig in and enjoy.

Thumbs Up.