I have long been intrigued by the Elizabeth Bathory story. She was a Hungarian countess who murdered between two hundred and eight hundred young women (the accounts vary), possibly believing that bathing in their blood would halt the aging process. When she was finally arrested, she was confined in her castle, bricked into a room. Obviously, her story is perfect fodder for a horror film adaptation, and several have been made. One of the best, and my personal favorite, is Daughters Of Darkness, which was directed by Harry Kümel and released in 1971. The film stars Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet, John Karlen, Andrea Rau. It has now received a deluxe treatment by Blue Underground, released as a three-disc limited edition set, including a 4K Ultra HD disc, a Blu-ray disc and a CD of the soundtrack. I’ve seen this movie several times, and on this new Blu-ray release it looks absolutely fantastic.
Elizabeth Bathory was a contemporary of William Shakespeare, but this film takes place in modern times, the idea being that she has managed to live all these years, that the blood not only kept her looking young, but made her immortal. It is an unusual sort of vampire story. The action opens on a train, where newlyweds Stefan (John Karlen, whom you know from his work on Cagney & Lacey) and Valerie (Danielle Ouimet) are making love. They jokingly profess that they do not love each other, a nice, playful touch. And before long we wonder if there might not be at least a bit of truth in that. The train has stopped in the middle of nowhere because another train has gone off the tracks. Stefan and Valerie are not in any immediate danger, but there is still a sense of foreboding. And we hear of Stefan’s mother, who it seems will be displeased by news of the sudden marriage. It’s actually an excellent opening scene.
Soon they arrive at their hotel, where, it being off season, there are no other guests. The atmosphere is excellent, with something mysterious, something eerie, but something you can’t quite put your finger on. Valerie urges Stefan to call his mother, and Stefan asks the hotel desk clerk to announce there was no reply at the house, increasing the air of mystery. And that is established before the entrance of Elizabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig, whom you know from Last Year At Marienbad and The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie) and her sexy servant, Ilona (Andrea Rau). The desk clerk recognizes Elizabeth from her visit forty years earlier, when he was a young bell boy, and is shocked to find she has not aged at all. “My mother, perhaps,” Elizabeth says, but is clearly not concerned whether he believes her or not, which is wonderful. And when she spies Stefan and Valerie, Elizabeth remarks, “Look, how perfect they are,” an excellent moment, for we know their fate will be tied to hers before they are even aware of her.
I love the style of this film. It is beautifully shot. Even that wide shot of the dining room where Stefan and Valerie are the only customers is excellent. There is also a fantastic sequence where Stefan and Valerie are relaxing on a boat, as an ambulance rushes to a crime scene on the road next to them. There are also interesting relationships, like that between Elizabeth and Ilona (Ilona tells her early on, “I wish I could die”), as well as that between Stefan and Valerie. Valerie is frightened by Stefan’s reaction to the crime scene they stumble upon, that he seems pleased to see a dead girl. “We’re getting to know each other,” he tells her. We get a stronger sense of Stefan during that great shot of Elizabeth standing at the back of his chair as Stefan recounts what he knows of the Countess Bathory. As he speaks of the legend of the countess keeping young girls chained up for their blood, Elizabeth’s fingers lightly stroke his shoulder. She is lost in memory, a sort of ecstasy. And he seems to share that ecstasy, becoming aroused as he describes the horrors he has read about. It is sexy and haunting. The film has so many great moments like this one. And Stefan seems even more interesting when we meet his “mother.” We begin to wonder just who presents the greater danger to Valerie – the Countess or Stefan.
Special Features
This set contains quite a few special features, including three commentary tracks. The first of these is by director Harry Kümel, moderated by David Gregory. Harry mentions the various titles the film has had and the different versions due to censorship. He talks about how each of the actors came to be a part of the cast, and talks about some other actors he admires. He talks a bit about style, the effect of the empty city, and how movies are like dreams. And, yes, he does talk about the idea behind the mother character. The second commentary track is done by actor John Karlen, with journalist David Del Valle. John talks about his experiences during the production of the film, and about his character and his fellow cast members. This is a pretty fun commentary track, and John Karlen is clearly having a good time recalling his moments on this film. There is a good amount of laughter on this track. About the film’s characters, he joyfully says, “We’re all beautifully perverse, wonderfully perverse, and just wonderful human beings at the same time.” The third commentary track is done by Kat Ellinger, author of Devil’s Advocates: Daughters Of Darkness, a book about this film. She is clearly a big fan of the movie, and has quite a lot of knowledge about it, which she shares on this track. She also puts it into the context of other vampire films, as well as other films about Elizabeth Bathory.
In Locations Of Darkness, director Harry Kümel and co-writer Pierre Drouot revisit the Astoria Hotel in Brussels, where they talk about the film, offering some interesting anecdotes. They are adorable as they remember things differently. At the end of this featurette, there is a bit shot at the other hotel used in the film. This featurette is approximately twenty-one and a half minutes. Playing The Victim is an interview with actor Danielle Ouimet, who talks a bit about her first couple of films, in addition to Daughters Of Darkness. She recalls with humor the sex scenes of this film. This featurette is approximately fifteen and a half minutes. Daughter Of Darkness is an interview with actor Andrea Rau, who talks about how her career as an actor began, about certain scenes from Daughters Of Darkness, and about her comfort with nudity.
The special features also include the alternate U.S. main titles sequence, three trailers for the film, four radio spots, and a photo gallery of posters and other promotional materials. There is also a booklet containing photos and a piece written by Michael Gingold, in which he talks about Harry Kümel’s work, including a proposed sequel titled Mothers Of Darkness, which sounds great.
The set’s third disc, as I mentioned, is the film’s soundtrack, approximately fifty minutes of music composed by François De Roubaix, including several bonus tracks. This music can be beautiful and enchanting at times, particularly tracks like “Red Lips” (which was also one of the film’s other titles) and “Valerie, Ilona And Stefan.” There are also more frantic moments, such as at the end of “Ballad In Bruges.” The bonus tracks include “The Bruges Band,” which has a lighter, more fun atmosphere, and cool remixes of “La Nuit Sous La Mer” and “Ilona’s Jazz.” The disc concludes with the song “Vampire.”
Daughters Of Darkness was directed by Harry Kümel, and this limited edition was released on October 27, 2020 through Blue Underground.
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