Since the beginning of humanity every culture has cultivated it version of the vampire and werewolf myths. They are stories that are deeply engrained in our cultural subconscious, each as dark and different as the society from which it rose. For ages, the myths evolved little as they were passed down from generation to generation. However, within the past half-century or so authors and directors dedicated to each genre have searched for ways in which to push the myths to new levels of depravity, twisting and molding the legends into fresh horror perspectives. Vampires and werewolves have become mainstays of our cultural entertainment and as a result, their traditional supernatural and preternatural identities have often become warped to the point that it is hard to call the creatures we see in present day movies and novels true "vampires" or "werewolves." The very nature of the beast, if you will, has been redesigned to accommodate the growing jadedness of our modern psyches and the old romantic glory that originally enthralled us as humans has diminished. That is why it causes me great joy when a director, such as Patrick Tatopoulos of UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, chooses to return to the roots of the myth and revel in the lush and regal darkness that originally made the genres internationally famous. In my opinion, Tatopoulos has captured the essence of vampires and werewolves and returned them to their former throne as kings of the preternatural world.

In UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, the third film in the UNDERWORLD franchise, we are transported back to the beginning of the centuries-long war between the Lycans, or werewolves, and the vampires. The cruel aristocratic vampires enslaved those of the Lycans still able to return to their human form, forcing them to fight against their own wilder kind and stand guard over the vampires while they slept during the day. Born into slavery, the Lycan Lucian (Michael Sheen) longs to free himself and his brothers from imprisonment and leave the kingdom. However, his fatal love for the vampire king Viktor's (Bill Nighy) daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra) ignites a catastrophic war between the Lycans and vampires that washes the stone walls of Viktor's castle in the blood of Lycans and vampires alike.

Never before this film have I ever found myself routing for the werewolf over the vampire. Never. Yet, as I was drawn into the desolate, barbaric world portrayed in UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS my heart simply ached for their cause. The stark separation of the two races are poignantly represented, the vampires merciless nobles all too secure in their vicious power, the Lycans the unfortunate souls trapped by birthplace or circumstance. The vampires treat the Lycans with all of the respect of a chained guard dog, one they rely upon to save their lives on a daily basis, yet do not hesitate to whip for their mere amusement. The masterful performances by the entire cast from Sheen to Nighy and Mitra not only embrace this savage world, but bring it to life in a way that most movies of a similar genre only dream of. The bitterness, the disdain, the hatred is so palpable, so genuine, that one cannot help but become completely enthralled in the story, one's heart aching for Lucian and his cause. The love story aspect of UNDERWORLD, which is truly the focus of the entire film, is exquisitely handled. Of course the tale of forbidden love between slaves and royalty is not a new one, but the dynamic between Sheen and Mitra on screen is so intensely passionate that it feels new leaving the viewer hungry for more. Indeed, the entire film is a gothic feast from which you wish to never leave, stoking our ravenous appetites for future installments of the UNDERWORLD epic.

As I have mentioned, this is not a new tale, slave uprisings against cruel aristocrats, but the way in which Patrick Tatopoulos has brought it to life makes one forget that they have perhaps heard a similar story before. Sometimes it is a return to the classics, to the divinely luscious past of epic myths and legends, of heroes and villians, or kings and slaves, which is needed to strengthen a genre and infuse it with the lifesaving blood it so desperately needs. Tales such as UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS speak to a darker side of our humanity and resonate within our souls with the ghosts of our own human history of wars. Tatopoulos has recognized this and, along with the gorgeously gothic visual design the UNDERWORLD movies are famous for and a heart-pounding display of spectacular Lycan versus vampire battle scenes, delivered another film that is destined to be remembered as one of the classics of the gothic horror genre. I wait in anticipation for the next UNDERWORLD film with a strange new fascination for the world of the Lycans, something this vampire loyalist never believed could ever happen in her lifetime.