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Daughters Of Darkness
[Blue Underground]
1971; color
Directed by Harry Kümel
Starring: John Karlen, Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet & Andrea Rau
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Daughters Of Darkness is a good, albeit a bit long-in-the-tooth, take on the Elizabeth Bathory character. Set in the 1970s (although once the major elements are in place it might just as well be any time from the '30s on), the story centers on a newlywed couple who are forced, by circumstance, to stay at an deserted seaside hotel in an unnamed European country in the winter. They're literally the only guests at the hotel (much to the dismay of the concierge, who also appears to be the sole employee) when, just by luck, Countess Bathory and her girlfriend / protégé happen to check in. While the concierge does a double take - the last time the Countess checked in was 40 years ago and she hasn't aged a bit - the couple figure this woman must be the Countess' daughter. (They should be so lucky!) In no time flat the Countess seems to have both the newlyweds under her spell even though she plays it off like it's more of an innocent, romantic fascination. But, the closer they become, the further their fates spiral downhill fast. As the Countess' attention shifts focus from the husband to the wife, he begins to fool around with the protégé. After the two share a quick turn in the sack he jumps in the shower and, as she longingly looks at him, he pulls her in. Unfortunately, since running water kills a vampire dead, she flips out, squirms to get away and accidentally grabs an open straight razor and slices her hand and wrist open; I'm not sure if it's the water or the wound but either way she ends up dead and naked on his bathroom floor just as the wife and the Countess return. (This is also one of only three instances where we see any blood in the movie, which is curious for a "vampire" film.) This is where the dark side of the Countess begins to emerge as she supervises the disposal of the body and begins to take full hypnotic control over the wife. Eventually the husband ends up dead as well and, by the film's end, the Countess is practically reincarnated. I won't go into detail about any of that because Daughters Of Darkness is a film worth not spoiling for those interested in seeing it. We saw this movie a while back, in an earlier released version, but this new edition offers an insightful featurette on the locations as well as recent interviews with two of the stars. During our previous viewing , but The film also seemed more memorable this time around, previously I didn't notice little things like the way scenes turn blood red as they dissolve from one to another or how truly sinister the Countess really is. I would recommend it for Bathory fans and those who favor their horror a bit murky and undefined.
—the Kommandant
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