National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'', July 25, 2013. The film stars Rory J. Saper as Rufus, a mysterious young man who turns up in a small town in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
and is eventually revealed to be a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
. The cast also includes
David James Elliott
David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series '' JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005.
Early life
Elliott was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton ...
,
Kelly Rowan
Kelly Rowan (born October 26, 1965) is a Canadian film and television actress and former model (profession), fashion model. A native of Ottawa, Rowan studied acting in London and New York City before working as a model. She was featured in the ho ...
,
Merritt Patterson
Merritt Patterson is a Canadian actress. She had her breakout role in 2013 on the ABC Family ''Pretty Little Liars'' spin-off series ''Ravenswood'' then went on to play Ophelia Pryce in the E! television series ''The Royals'' (2014-2015). Me ...
,
Richard Harmon
Richard Scott Harmon is a Canadian actor. His roles on television include John Murphy in The CW's ''The 100'', Jasper Ames in '' The Killing'' and Julian Randol on '' Continuum''. Harmon received critical praise for his role in the movie ''If I ...
, and
Kim Coates
Kim F. Coates (born February 21, 1958) is a Canadian–American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and in the lead ...
.
The film premiered at the
Calgary International Film Festival
The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, in late September and early October.
CIFF is the largest international film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. The Festival's ...
in September 2012, before going into general theatrical release in 2013.
Plot
Rufus is a mysterious young boy who arrives in a small town in Saskatchewan with an elderly woman. Saying she can go no further, the elderly woman commits suicide by walking in front of a tractor trailer. Hugh Wade, the town sheriff and his wife Jennifer, take him in as their house guest as Sheriff Wade attempts to find out who Rufus and the elderly woman really are and why they suddenly arrived in town. Tracy and Clay are two local teenagers who quickly befriend Rufus. Aaron Van Dusen is a mysterious man who arrives in town looking for Rufus for unknown reasons.
Merritt Patterson
Merritt Patterson is a Canadian actress. She had her breakout role in 2013 on the ABC Family ''Pretty Little Liars'' spin-off series ''Ravenswood'' then went on to play Ophelia Pryce in the E! television series ''The Royals'' (2014-2015). Me ...
as Tracy
*
David James Elliott
David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series '' JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005.
Early life
Elliott was born David William Smith on September 21, 1960, in Milton ...
as Hugh Wade
*
Kelly Rowan
Kelly Rowan (born October 26, 1965) is a Canadian film and television actress and former model (profession), fashion model. A native of Ottawa, Rowan studied acting in London and New York City before working as a model. She was featured in the ho ...
as Jennifer Wade
*
Richard Harmon
Richard Scott Harmon is a Canadian actor. His roles on television include John Murphy in The CW's ''The 100'', Jasper Ames in '' The Killing'' and Julian Randol on '' Continuum''. Harmon received critical praise for his role in the movie ''If I ...
as Clay
*
Kim Coates
Kim F. Coates (born February 21, 1958) is a Canadian–American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and in the lead ...
as Aaron Van Dusen
* Tom Carey as Chet
*
Nancy Sorel
Nancy Sorel (born May 14, 1964) is a Canadian-American actress known for her roles on many TV series.
Life and career
Born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, Sorel received a degree in Theatre and Film from the University of Massachusetts/ ...
as Vickie
* Christina Jastrzembska as Louise Kettle
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 33% based on 6 reviews.
Adam Nayman of the ''
Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it f ...
was critical of the film, saying it " ends up feeling drab as well as looking it." Jay Stone of ''Canada.com'' was critical of the slow pace of the film and wrote: "Writer/director Dave Schultz stretches out this somewhat languorous - not to say somnambulant - material to almost two hours by adding a villain."
Bruce DeMara of the
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
gave the film 3 out of 4 and was positive about the slowly building tension and the performances of the actors: "Schultz allows the tension to build slowly and for Rufus's secret history to be revealed in increments. There's also some great interplay between the actors".
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series ...
nominations for
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...