Harry Kümel’s 1971 erotic vampire horror, now getting a shiny new 4K release courtesy of Radiance, follows newlyweds Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Daniele Ouimet). After they check in to a grand hotel in Oostend, on the Belgian seafront, the plan is for Stefan to make contact with his mother ahead of them visiting her in England, but he seems reluctant to, and keeps on prolonging their stay.
Enter Countess Elizabeth Báthory (Dephine Seyrig) and her “secretary” Ilona (Andrea Rau), whose appearance at the hotel coincides with a series of grisly murders of young women in nearby Bruges – murders which Stefan finds himself fascinated by. As Báthory – an immortal vampire incarnation of the real-life Hungarian noblewoman and serial killer – Seyrig is deliciously engaging, as powerful a female take on the Dracula myth as has graced cinema. It’s no wonder that Valerie gets entranced by her.
Though Báthory has left behind a trail of bodies, her real evil is in turning the possessive Stefan and his new wife, already yearning to break free after seeing his violent side, against each other. It’s a manipulation that leads to some unpleasant scenes of cruelty, the unravelling of pent-up desires, and Báthory eventually getting what she wants, albeit at a cost. Though not as bloody as you might expect from a vampire movie, it’s a mesmeric, intense and female-focused take on the mythos, with a wonderful edge of the bizarre, most notably when Stefan’s mother is revealed. It’s only let down by an unimpressive performance from Ouimet, whose Valerie is all too often over-the-top in her horror and bland in her later possessed state.
The film looks beautiful in this new 4K restoration – from the light tinkling off Bathory’s extravagant Dietrich-inspired outfits to the striking seaside landscape. And, the release comes packed with special features, including a new interview with Kümel, a visual essay by Kat Ellinger, two of Kümel’s short films, an 80-page booklet of essays, and much more.
DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS is available from October 13th on 4K UHD and Blu-ray.
