Dave Schultz set out to make “a vampire picture that wasn’t really a vampire picture” when he wrote Rufus (also known as Hunted). Given other vampire-centered stories at the time, the Canadian filmmaker was sure to include the fundamentals. More specifically, the brooding and beautiful bloodsucker who takes a fierce liking to a human, and the uncanny perils of their two different worlds colliding. The 2012 film diverges from its contemporaries, though, by dispensing with the usual fantastical action and plotting and instead embracing character study. For those reasons this coming-of-age tale has a good deal more to say about humanity than it does the mythology of vampires.
Rufus was shot over a span of 22 days in Dundurn, Saskatchewan, and it was Schultz’s second project filmed in the boreal province. The ashen landscape in the middle of an unseasonable winter shows faint signs of life as the title character arrives on a bus. The boy’s guardian (Christina Jastrzembska) then surprises both him and a trucker when she intentionally steps in front of a moving semi. This is mere seconds after the weary 107-year-old woman told her ward to “try to fit in.” Soon the area’s chief of police, Hugh Wade (David James Elliott), takes in the victim’s traveling companion until they can find a permanent housing solution. Wife Jennifer (Kelly Rowan) is naturally wary of this sudden guest, but she comes around to the mysterious and soft-spoken Rufus (Rory J. Saper).
Upon landing in the town of Conrad — the Canadian Prairies are passed off for what looks to be Montana — Rufus does everything he believes necessary to fit in. This leads to him becoming an emotional cure-all for everyone he meets. Like the naked mannequins in the town’s store windows, Rufus is a blank canvas, all ready to be dressed up. Be it a new son for a bereaved couple, or the boyfriend least likely to break your heart, Rufus takes on multiple roles without his realizing it.
Rufus inadvertently fills a void in the Wades’ home. The room Rufus sleeps in, the clothes he wears, the toy planes he finds in the closet — these all once belonged to the Wades’ son. Hugh enjoys the idea of having another child in the house, even one who is only passing through. Meanwhile, Jennifer is reluctant to let Rufus in, seeing as she still holds on to her grief because it is all she has left of her biological son.
The film’s namesake might resemble a fresh-faced 15-year-old, but an old soul hides beneath his youthful exterior. The first person in Conrad to discover the truth about Rufus is the Wades’ neighbor, Tracy (Merritt Patterson). The teenager lives up to her embellished reputation by immediately getting the new boy out of his clothes. However, Tracy’s kinky version of a trust fall leaves her bewildered; Rufus, unlike the other men in her life, shows he can actually be trusted. He has no interest in taking advantage of others. More proof of Tracy’s pathos is in her response to learning Rufus has a dislocated heart: “Don’t worry. Most boys don’t even have one.” The girl’s underlying sadness comes from a combination of an absent father, ruinous town gossip, and an abusive ex-boyfriend named Clay (Richard Harmon).
The film reveals its queer undercurrent when Rufus comes to Tracy’s rescue and bites Clay. That exposing moment leads to a thorny yet oddly tender relationship between the two boys. Both their secrets are now out. Clay sees this alluring stranger as an opportunity to take a breath and let his guard down. And of course growing up in deep isolation means Rufus does not follow negative cultural opinions about homosexuality, and he sees nothing inappropriate about his time with Clay. At long last, reality returns when Clay pushes Rufus away, fearful of what others might think. The two had an intriguing bond, but as Rufus once said, “Real magic scares people.”
Vampires and other similar horrors are often treated as a metaphor for anything deemed condemnable by common society. Fanged fatales have especially been used to communicate feelings and states of queerness. In this case Rufus knows he is different, and he spends a great amount of time hiding that fact from the adults. The closer Rufus grows to Hugh and Jennifer the more afraid he is of them finding him out. And like a queer child frightened of losing their stability if ever exposed, the young vampire does everything to appear “normal.” As Hugh gets closer to the truth, with some urging from a visiting vampire hunter (Kim Coates), he demands his surrogate son come clean. “How many secrets do you have?” Hugh shouts, reminding a lot of people of their own coming-out traumas. The standing question is, though, will the Wades still care about Rufus once everything is finally out in the open?
Rufus encounters a mass of sadness, anger, and shame in his first few days out in the real world. The average person would be overwhelmed, so imagine how someone like Rufus, who was a lab rat before being isolated altogether from greater society, reacts to the parade of raw emotions. His crash course in humanity would cause other uninitiated outsiders to run in the opposite direction, yet Rufus is compelled to stay and change. He understands no one should be defined by the monsters inside of them.
Schultz approaches the anguished vampire concept from a different angle, and the result is more Let the Right One In than Twilight. Rufus’ wish to be a “real” boy is endearing, and his longing to be loved for who he is rather than what he can give is relatable. The then unknown Rory J. Saper absolutely sells this depiction; he delivers a charismatic and sincere performance in his debut. The film’s multiple subplots and thematic obviousness pose a small risk, but in the end, everything comes together nicely as Rufus achieves what he never thought possible.
Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.
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