History Film / Byzantium

* EldritchAbomination: Whatever ''it'' is that inhabits the shrine.
* EldritchLocation: The island, and ''whatever'' it is that lurks in the shrine.

-> ''"My story starts with Clara. One day it will end with her."''
->- '''Eleanor'''

** Clara and Eleanor avoid the V-word mostly, not even really referring to themselves with a specific term. In her stories, Eleanor uses the term "soucriant". They can walk in the sunlight with no issue, appear in photographs and mirrors, don't have visible fangs, are much stronger than humans and no mention is made of crucifixes and garlic. It is hinted when Eleanor goes to Frank's birthday dinner and when [[spoiler: Clara tries to kill Frank]] that they need to be invited in. When they feed, their nails, usually on the thumb, grows rapidly whereupon they slit an artery and drink from it. To be made into a "soucriant", you need to travel to a remote island, enter a creepy shrine and apparently make a deal with the "Nameless Saint". It is stated that only those who are willing or ready to die can be turned into a vampire. Specifically the name "soucriant" is used in Caribbean folklore for a local variety of vampire, though it bears little resemblance to those in the film.

* DaywalkingVampire: All the vampires shown have no aversion or weakness to sunlight and can move about in the day with no issue. Most of their activities take place at night, but this appears to be from a desire to stay undetected, not to mention Clara's "occupation" rather than because it's harmful. The opening of the film even shows them sleeping and waking up in a field in the middle of the morning and showing no reaction to the sun.

* DaywalkingVampire: All the vampires shown have no aversion or weakness to sunlight and can move about in the day with no issue whatsoever. Most of their activities take place at night, but this appears to be from a desire to stay undetected, not to mention Clara's "occupation" rather than because it's harmful. The opening of the film even shows them sleeping and waking up in a field in the middle of the morning.

* DaywalkingVampire: All the vampires shown have no aversion or weakness to sunlight and can move about in the day with no issue whatsoever. Most of their activities take place at night, but this appears to be from a desire to stay undetected, not to mention Clara's "occupation" rather than because it's harmful.

* MsFanservice: Unsurprisingly Clara. Gemma Arterton plays an attractive vampire who spends the vast majority of the movie wearing sexy clothing. And Clara's introduction to viewers is giving someone a lap dance in her underwear. It occasionally crosses into FanDisservice though, due to the fact Clara was forced into prostitution at a young age and only does sex work purely for survival.

* DaywalkingVampire: All the vampires shown have no aversion to sunlight and can move about in sunlight with no issue whatsoever. Most of their activities take place at night, but this appears to be from a desire to stay undetected, not to mention Clara's "occupation" rather than because it's harmful.

* DaywalkingVampire: All the vampires shown have no aversion to sunlight. Most of their activities take place at night, but this appears to be from a desire to stay undetected, not to mention Clara's "occupation."

** Clara and Eleanor avoid the V-word mostly, not even really referring to themselves with a specific term. In her stories, Eleanor uses the term "soucriant". They can walk in the sunlight, appear in photographs and mirrors, don't have visible fangs, and no mention is made of crucifixes and garlic. It is hinted when Eleanor goes to Frank's birthday dinner and when [[spoiler: Clara tries to kill Frank]] that they need to be invited in. When they feed, their nails, usually on the thumb, grows rapidly whereupon they slit an artery and drink from it. To be made into a "soucriant", you need to travel to a remote island, enter a creepy shrine and apparently make a deal with the "Nameless Saint". It is stated that only those who are willing or ready to die can be turned into a vampire. Specifically the name "soucriant" is used in Caribbean folklore for a local variety of vampire, though it bears little resemblance to those in the film.

* [[SonOfAWhore Daughter Of A Whore]]: Eleanor again.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The Brethren's entire attitude towards women not being allowed to join their ranks, regardless of their merit. Clara was denied entry just over two centuries ago, which was hardly a time for enlightened views on women in general. But then you realise the Brethen are strongly implied to be much, much older than that and time clearly hasn't shaken the trappings of countless centuries of sexism by the time Clara wants to join. The fact her low birth is also a strike against her falls squarely into this trope too.

* MsFanservice: Unsurprisingly Clara. Gemma Arterton plays an attractive vampire who spends the vast majority of the movie wearing sexy clothing. And Clara's introduction to viewers is giving someone a lap dance in her underwear.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Nearly all members of the vampire Brethren hold very open contempt for women. Clara [[ObfuscatingStupidity uses this to her advantage]] by playing the stupid, uneducated whore they think she is.

* RainOfBlood: Well, waterfall of blood, anyway.

* BoyMeetsGhoul: The film has IllBoy Frank meet and subsequently fall for vampire Eleanor.

* [[IHateYouVampireDad I Hate You Vampire Mom]]: Eleanor quite understandably resents Clara for turning her into a vampire. It's revealed part of her mother's motivation was to to ease her own loneliness rather than simply "saving her." The film takes place after they've had to live on the run, and under the radar, for over two centuries, and Eleanor has grown weary of it all.

* StrongerWithAge: Seemingly {{averted}}. Clara [[spoiler: is able to kill Werner with relative ease and wrestles Savella to the ground despite both being older than her (Savella having lived through the Crusades)]]. It is unknown if the vampires actually have super strength or if it's just proportional to their height and weight like humans, though Clara being able to easily overpower men to feed on them [[spoiler: and punch through a windscreen like it was nothing]] suggests they are at least much stronger than humans.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: What's with nice guy Darvell later thinking [[spoiler: Ruthven might be a good, noble recruit for the Brethren? Ruthven raped Clara and forced her into prostitution - and she's hardly the first girl he's done that to - and then abandoned Darvell, robbed his corpse, and stole his estate. WTF? It makes so little sense that some fans theorise he was actually trying to recruit ''Clara,'' and approaching Ruthven was just the most efficient way to do it.]]

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Nearly all members of the vampire Brethren hold very open contempt for women.

* MumLooksLikeASister: Clara looks like Eleanor's older sister rather than her mother, due to being vampires who stopped aging. Clara is shown to have only been around twenty when giving birth to Eleanor anyway though.