Stockholm Film Festival

"Countess Dracula", "Blood Countess" and "The Tigress of Csejte" - popular imagination has bestowed many nicknames on Transylvanian Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Believed to have murdered somewhere between 80 and 650 young girls at the turn of the 16th and 17th century, the mythical countess remains one of history's most notorious serial killers.

Following the death of her husband, the aging countess falls in love with young Istvan Thurzo. Istvan, however, is to be married to another, younger, woman. Jealous and desperate to stay young, Báthory is willing to try even the strangest of recipe for eternal youth - the blood of virgins.

It comes as no surprise that Báthory has already inspired a host of B movies, including Hammer Film's bodice-ripping classic "Countess Dracula". But Julie Delpy's retelling of the story is no doubt the most ambitious to date. Gruesomely compelling, "The Countess" portrays Elizabeth Báthory's macabre journey and growing desperation in blood-spattered tableaus without sacrificing the heart of the gothic tradition - pathos and despair.

JESPER HASSELSTRÖM

Cast

Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Producer

Matthew E. Chausse, Julie Delpy, Andro Steinborn, Christopher Tuffin

Script

Julie Delpy

Cinematography

Martin Ruhe

Music

Julie Deply

Spoken language

Engelska

 

Other films from the Open Zone section

See all the festival films from 2009