Daughters of Darkness

Horrorphile

follow this blog

1040 followers

3571 daily readers

rank of 1

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Les Lèvres Rouges (Daughters of Darkness)

July 14th 2009 23:47

You can’t go past a moody German/Belgium/French psychosexual vampire movie from the early 70s. Oooo la la! Yes, Harry Kümel’s art-schlock cult classic is a rare and fabulous creature; self-consciously delicate and artfully fragile, yet infused with an inner darkness and disquietingly dysfunctional characters. Although shot in English language its original French title translates as The Red Lips, however it is more famously known by its international title, Daughters of Darkness (1971).

Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Danielle Ouimet) are newlyweds holidaying through Europe. They book into the Hotel Ostend in Beligum where they are immediately spotted by Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her assistant (read: lover) Ilona (Andrea Rau). The Countess is smitten with silky blonde Valerie. The concierge (Paul Esser) is intrigued by Ms. Bathory, as she has the same name and looks exactly like a woman who stayed at the hotel 40 years earlier when he was a young bellboy. The Countess tells him he must be confused.

Daughters of Darkness Danielle Ouimet and John Karlen

Danielle Ouimet as Valerie and John Karlen as Stefan

Valerie is anxious for Stefan to confirm their arrival in England with his mother, but he is reluctant to make the connection. Instead they visit nearby Brugge where Stefan finds himself morbidly fascinated with a bizarre murder scene. Later, back at the Ostend Stefan is mesmerized by the Countess who ingratiates herself. Valerie is disgusted. Valerie’s wariness sends Stefan into a schizo rage and he beats mercilessly her with his belt. At dawn light while Stefan sleeps she packs her bags and leaves for the train, only to be intercepted by the Countess, while Ilona goes to seduce Stefan.

Countess Bathory descends at the glorious Ostend

Delphine Seyrig as the Countess

While the performances and much of the dialogue hinge on the risible, there is an unmistakable oneiric quality to the look, feel and atmosphere of the movie. It is a vampire movie unlike most as there are no fangs on display whatsoever. This is bloodlust of the most rare and fevered kind, using a real historical figure – Countess Elizabeth Bathory – as the sensual villain. The movie, although savagely violent in places, floats with a distinctly sensual and feminine wile. The three female leads contrasting beautifully against each other in look and personality: long blonde haired Valerie with her equine-face and piercing blue eyes, Ilona with her black Louise Brooks bob and large fraulein features (big dark eyes and huge red mouth), and the Countess, with her white gold curls, porcelain skin and that oh so delicate voice that whispers sweet nothings, but carries softly you into the darkness forever.

Daughters of Darkness John Karlen and Delphine Seyrig

Stefan is entranced by the Countess, as Valerie turns away in disgust

Andrea Rau as Ilona

Stunning, brooding images of landscape and architecture, of that exotic fang-like car hurtling through the night, of Ilona perched in the shadows waiting as Stefan stirs in his sleep, belt still in hand, of the Countess slowly wrapping her bat-like cloak around Valerie on the sand dunes, of the body wrapped in black polyurethane lying on the ground in front of the hotel. The movie sings like a thirsty siren; a torch song for the undead, an evil legacy destined to unfurl over and over and over. “I’m just an outmoded character, you know, the beautiful stranger, slightly sad, slightly mysterious, that haunts one place after another …” muses the Countess to Stefan and Valerie after events have taken a turn for the more complicated.

Ilona waits to seduce Stefan

Daughters of Darkness Delphine Seyrig, John Karlen, Danielle Ouimet

Crucified by dark desire

There is also a very curious sub-plot that concerns Stefan’s true nature; when he finally calls his mother to placate Valerie, and it’s revealed that “mother” is in fact a middle-aged queen whose feathers are slightly ruffled at the “unrealistic” idea that Stefan has married a woman; “Whatever will we do with her?” This provocative avenue of characterisation provides the narrative some serious eccentricity, as does the extended “let the dead bury the dead” scene at the beach where the Countess has Stefan tidy up his dirty work.

The promise of red lips

The movie’s infamous violent shock ending might seem a trifle absurd now, but it still works at a base poetic level. Then there’s the curious epilogue which layers on yet more mysteriousness as Valerie befriends a young couple, but speaks with the voice of Elizabeth Bathory. The red lips quiver on to soul kiss for another night, raise goosebumps, caress cold flesh … and sleep another day.

I couldn't find a trailer, so here's an "introductory" clip:

Vote

subscribe to this blog

follow this blog on Orble

start your own blog

[ Link ]

Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

Related Posts:

Relate This Post

[ Previous - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ]

[ Next - Hush ]

Comments

6 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Natalina

July 16th 2009 00:04

My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog

What a strange looking movie!

They don't make films like this anymore, do they? Wait a minute. I think I have this one somewhere. I picked up a couple of weird looking vampire movies on VHS at one time, and I've never gotten around to watching them. Let me check.

Yup. I do. This one and another called Blood and Roses.

I'll have to pop it in one of these nights!

Comment by Bryn

July 16th 2009 00:40

Horrorphile

Blood and Roses? That's one I want on DVD, but it's never been released on DVD. Roger Vadim directed it. 1960. Has the great French title Et Mourir de Plaisir (The Death of Pleasure)

Comment by Natalina

July 16th 2009 01:46

My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog

Yeah, Blood and Roses. It's VHS as well. I've just never popped them in for some reason. I picked them both up at a flea market, along with Season of the Witch.

The only VHS player I have in my house is in my bedroom, so maybe I'll watch one of them before I go to sleep tonight.

I like the French title better!

Comment by Bryn

July 16th 2009 03:30

Horrorphile

Let me know what you think! I'm very curious!

Comment by JohnDoe

July 17th 2009 23:08

Film & TV on DVD

fantastic intro on this review Bryn. Your stuff is always good but this one is a step above.

You know, i never have got around to see this one...though your not the first to say its worth a look.

Thanks for the review reminder.