Perfect Creature

Lore & Background

In the film's world, male vampire infants are typically killed at birth unless they are taken into the Brotherhood, which maintains a regulated blood supply system rather than relying solely on donated blood from churchgoers. A pregnant woman gives birth to a vampire because she is a carrier of a vampire gene or bloodline—not a virus—and a teenaged Brother named Silus learns that he and this child, Edgar, share the same mother. A hundred years later, a series of attacks on women in the Jamestown slum, all with throats bitten, leads human police officer Lilly Squires to investigate. The police claim the deaths are from influenza to avoid panic.

Reader's Guide

Perfect Creature is notable as a New Zealand steampunk vampire film that reimagines vampire society as a religious order. The film explores themes of genetic research, forbidden love, and sacrifice. Its significance includes being part of a major deal between 20th Century Fox and a New Zealand film at Cannes in 2005. The film was shot primarily around Dunedin and Oamaru in New Zealand's South Island. Adam DiLeo at IGN gave it 7 out of 10 stars.

Did You Know?

• Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was originally cast as Edgar but left due to other film commitments.
• At Cannes in 2005, 20th Century Fox purchased North American theatrical rights in the largest deal between a major US studio and a New Zealand film.
• The film's plot does not involve a virus; instead, a child is born a vampire due to the mother being a carrier of a vampire gene or bloodline.