Daughters of Darkness (1971)

September 26, 2018

Directed by: Harry Kumel

Written by: Pierre Druout, Harry Kumel, Jean Ferry

Starring: Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet, Andrea Rau

Quote: "Don't lie to yourself, you were pleased. It gave you pleasure. You actually enjoyed to see that dead girl's body."

Trivia: Shot entirely in English, even though the majority of the cast was French, German and Flemish. As opposed to most European "genre" films from the 70s, here none of the actors were post-dubbed by others. They can all be heard with their own voices (resulting in some accents), notably Delphine Seyrig's deep, smoky voice or Andrea Rau's and Paul Messer's German accents



Daughters of Darkness is one more of the movies presented by Joe Bob Briggs on his now infamous The Last Drive-In. I'm disappointed I was not able to watch it live last Friday the 13th, but after Daughters of Darkness, I have only one more movie to watch. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a horror movie or even a vampire movie, this film does not fully deliver. While it has some incredible acting performances (especially every scene with European bombshell Delphine Syrig) and is dripping with style it lacks the violence or vampiric elements that would make the film more interesting. The movie is more of an erotic thriller (thriller might even be an exaggeration) than a horror or vampire film.

The basic plot follows a newlywed couple, Stefan and Valerie, who go to honeymoon in a largely deserted town of Ostend, Belgium. While enjoying the lavish amenities at the hotel they run into the Countess Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her assistant Ilory (Andrea Rau). Immediately the Countess becomes smitten with the couple and begins their seduction. Meanwhile there have been a series of gruesome murders that happened in the city. Was it the Countess? Who knows. Also, the concierge claims that he met the Countess forty years before and she looks exactly the same. This is the only real evidence of any vampiricism in the movie. At one point the newlywed husband Stefan sees the arm of a dead girl while hanging out in Bruges. He seems to get all sex nuts turned on by the bloody arm which, understandably, freaks out his wife. Also, it looks like the husband has been hiding something because he refuses to tell his mother about the marriage and his bride. Eventually, he does call her up but instead of his mother, it is a flamboyantly dressed gay man that answers. Apparently, Stefan is gay and didn't want to tell his boyfriend he married a woman? We don't really ever get the newlywed's backstory other than they met recently and hurried into the marriage.

Eventually, the Countess' plan has Ilory seduce the husband while she can seduce Valerie. However, something goes wrong. Stefan gets pretty rapey and as she's trying to flee Ilory falls on a razor blade and dies as the Countess and Valerie walk in on them. I'm not sure how a fall on the razor blade could kill a person let alone a vampire but what the heck do I know? Anyways, what would you do if your faithful servant had just been killed in a seduction accident that you planned? Take the body to the beach and bury it in a shallow grave of course. They do this and rush back before the sun can rise. Then the Countess presses a fruit dish onto Stefan's head until it breaks and cuts him exactly on the wrists (dumb). Next, as they leave Valerie accidentally crashes the car impaling the Countess. In the end, Valerie becomes the next countess who can go off to seduce other young couples.

Alright, full disclosure, as I was writing this writeup I began to realize that I actually kind of liked this film. Maybe it is one of the movies you need to let sit for a couple days to let it sink in more. Firstly, as mentioned before, I would watch Delphine Seyrig do anything and be thoroughly entertained. Now only is she incredibly beautiful, but she is also an incredible actress! And who wouldn't want to watch the sexy European bombshell seduce the young American girl? Andrea Rau, who plays the assistant, is also incredibly sexy in her own very German way. The film really works as a Gothic sexual cat-and-mouse movie.

It is also the other elements the filmmaker adds to the film that make it interesting. What is the deal with Stefan's sexual turn on with the dead girl's arm? Does this point to a darkness within him? Is this foreshadowing for his later accidental killing of Ilory? Does this have something to do with his boyfriend? And what about his boyfriend? In the movie Stefan's character could be called sexually ravenous. The movie opens on him having sex with Valerie in a train and continues with gratuitous scenes throughout the film. So what's the deal with this guy he seems to be his boyfriend? And the boyfriend seemed cool about his marriage so why does it crush him? Interesting character elements.

Finally, the movie is gorgeously shot. The filmmakers fully took advantage of the decadence of the location, the grandiose hotel that they are staying at. There are numerous long shots to bring in the entire elegance of the place. The Countess and her wardrobe also add to the beauty. She really does appear to be a person from a bygone era. The golden era of Hollywood. Even the death scenes have their beauty to them. Stefan's death has him sprawled on the ground with his wrists cut in a crucified Christ like post. The Countess' death has her slumped over her impalement as her body is engulfed in flames. Very much like Joan of Arc.

The movie is definitely a slow burn. If you're looking for horror or a more traditional vampire story, this isn't the movie for you. But if you want a unique Gothic look at vampiric seduction, then look no further.

...what's your thoughts?