'Daughters of Darkness' is an underrated stylish vampire horror masterpiece that takes its inspiration from Elizabeth Bathory, a countess who tortured and killed hundreds of young girls and bathed in their blood. The movie transcends its inspiration by creating one of the most unique entries in the vampire sub-genre; thanks to its flawless production and well executed narrative that focuses more on mood and atmosphere rather than violence and does a fantastic job of building unnerving tension throughout and everything falls perfectly into place.
The Plot = Newlywed couple Stefan (John Karlen) & Valerie (Danielle Ouiment) arrive at the seaside town of Ostend, Belgium during the off-season, where they encounter a mysterious yet strikingly beautiful countess Elizabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her assistant Ilona (Andrea Rau). The young couple soon becomes friends with the two mysterious women which in turn soon leads to danger.
The movie is glamourous erotic stylized and most importantly intriguing vampire story that strays away from most of the usual vampire cliches and instead presents the viewer with a more character study approach and thanks to the amazing performances from each of the 4 main cast members, it manages to pull this off effectively. The slow burn pacing may be a bit off putting for some, but for me personally I was fascinated by every aspect of this flick as it manages to maintain an eerie other worldly atmosphere throughout its runtime. The direction by Harry Kumel is superb as he presents everything with an elegant and seductive aesthetic that gives everything an off-kilter dreamlike quality that manages to draw you into the world this movie presents you with.
The performances are excellent from the 4 main cast members and each as fantastic chemistry together. Delphine Seyrig stealing the show as the countess by delivering a stunning and mesmerizing performance that dominates every aspect of the production. She is simply enthralling with her elegant features, her long slow lingering gazes and her gothic aura with many layers to her character. Andrea Rau contrasts nicely against the countess with her raw sensuality as the very tragic figure. Danielle Ouiment delivers a likeable and naïve charm to her role and John Karlen delivers an engaging performance as the husband especially as the movie progresses and his true colours begins to come to light.
Overall 'Daughters of Darkness' is definitely one of the best vampire horror flicks from the 1970's with its fantastic blends of horror and eroticism all wrapped together in one of the most stylish, unique and well-made horror flicks of all-time.
The Plot = Newlywed couple Stefan (John Karlen) & Valerie (Danielle Ouiment) arrive at the seaside town of Ostend, Belgium during the off-season, where they encounter a mysterious yet strikingly beautiful countess Elizabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her assistant Ilona (Andrea Rau). The young couple soon becomes friends with the two mysterious women which in turn soon leads to danger.
The movie is glamourous erotic stylized and most importantly intriguing vampire story that strays away from most of the usual vampire cliches and instead presents the viewer with a more character study approach and thanks to the amazing performances from each of the 4 main cast members, it manages to pull this off effectively. The slow burn pacing may be a bit off putting for some, but for me personally I was fascinated by every aspect of this flick as it manages to maintain an eerie other worldly atmosphere throughout its runtime. The direction by Harry Kumel is superb as he presents everything with an elegant and seductive aesthetic that gives everything an off-kilter dreamlike quality that manages to draw you into the world this movie presents you with.
The performances are excellent from the 4 main cast members and each as fantastic chemistry together. Delphine Seyrig stealing the show as the countess by delivering a stunning and mesmerizing performance that dominates every aspect of the production. She is simply enthralling with her elegant features, her long slow lingering gazes and her gothic aura with many layers to her character. Andrea Rau contrasts nicely against the countess with her raw sensuality as the very tragic figure. Danielle Ouiment delivers a likeable and naïve charm to her role and John Karlen delivers an engaging performance as the husband especially as the movie progresses and his true colours begins to come to light.
Overall 'Daughters of Darkness' is definitely one of the best vampire horror flicks from the 1970's with its fantastic blends of horror and eroticism all wrapped together in one of the most stylish, unique and well-made horror flicks of all-time.