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Fanta Masters: Vampires of Thire Own

Daughters of Darkness

Harry KÜMEL

Belgium / France / West Germany1971 100 min 35mm C Korean Premiere

Synopsis

Newlyweds Stefan and Valerie arrive at a seaside village in Belgium. It’s off-season; they are the only occupants of the hotel, where Stefan terrorizes Valerie with his violent behavior. The next day, the mysterious yet hysterical Countess BATHORY and her secretary Ilona check into the hotel. As soon as the Countess sees Valerie and Stefan, she begins to obsess over them, which leads to unimaginable horrors for the couple. To create its seductive, lethal vampire villainess, Daughters of Darkness combines the story of Elizabeth BATHORY, a real-life figure who reportedly killed over 1,500 women and bathed in their blood, with Le Fanu’s novella Carmilla, which became the archetype of the lesbian vampire tale. The movie greatly influenced Tony SCOTT’s The Hunger, which captivated vampire movie fans with its risqué lesbian vampire scene between Catherine DENEUVE and Susan SARANDON, and its depiction of a sensual, sophisticated 20th-century vampire. Delphine SEYRIG, of Jeanne Dielman fame, is nothing short of a goddess in her role as Countess BATHORY. (SOHN Hee Jeong)

Diretor

Harry KÜMEL

Born in Belgium, 1940. Also directed theatre, television and opera. Started teaching on the Dutch Film and Television Academy (Nederlandse Film en Televisie Academie) in the 1970s, but retired in 2005.