Daughters of Darkness

Daughters Of Darkness (1971) Rated 18 Radiance Films English/French language English subtitles Limited edition 4K/UHD Blu Ray Box Set and Limited Edition Blu Ray RAD136 UDHLE / RAD136DLE

Out now on Radiance Films Harry Kumel’s 1971 erotic vampire story, ‘Daughters of Darkness’.

Largely sticking with traditional vampire lore, directed and co-written by Harry Kumel, this dark tale begins with a young couple playfully enjoying a trip on a sleeper train to their honeymoon hotel. An out of season Ostend hotel is their choice, its wide entrance in a long colonnade on the windswept seafront and a magnificent reception room with a high staircase leading up to the guest rooms. Stefan (John Karlen) and Valery (Danielle Ouimet) are the only guests in this palatial hotel and they naturally take the best suite it has to offer. Even though they have been married only hours, something is not quite right. Valery is concerned that Stefan’s family will not accept her, she an ordinary German girl and he, with his aristocratic background. Stefan is also reluctant to call his mother and arrange the inevitable meeting between the young couple and ‘mother’.

Their dream of a blissful honeymoon with the hotel to themselves soon goes awry with the arrival of the hauntingly beautiful Countess Bathory (Delphine Seyrig), stylishly attired and veiled against the light, with her constant companion, her hair bobbed, the cat-like Ilona (Andrea Rau). Normally taking the royal suite herself, she persuades the middle-aged desk clerk to let her have rooms close to the young couple’s. A shiver runs through the desk clerk, Pierre (Paul Esser) as he is sure he recognises the Countess from a visit many years before when he was a bellboy.

Stefan calls his ‘mother’ on the telephone in front of Valery, but we the viewers know better. The person at the other end is a stereotyped middle-aged aesthetic, with more than a hint of Oscar Wilde about him. This moment of apparent levity does nothing to lighten the mood, simply replacing the lost, limbo-like atmosphere of the hotel with the art nouveau hot house of Stefan’s ‘uncle’.

The sense of claustrophobia, even in this vast, cavernous hotel, is fully realized and our young couple take the opportunity to get away from the needy Countess whenever they can. Announcing that they are to leave the next day for Britain, the Countess, afraid of losing their company, grows ever closer to them and tries every trick to keep them by her side.  Soft she may seem, but the Countess is a truly sinister presence, her outfits a combination of white, black and red - the colours of the Nazi flag – and her cold, barely blinking eyes taking in the young couple with animal greed. The way she cradles her companion/maid’s head in her lap, lovingly stroking her hair, gives a tantalising frisson.

A trip to Bruges sees our couple run across a crowd ogling a dead girl’s body and introduces a retired detective (Georges Jamin) into the story. The girl, drained of blood, seems to fascinate Stefan, to Valery’s disgust. The canal side streets, the jostling crowd and the body recall a famous scene from ‘Don’t Look Now’, with at least as much effect. As the couple return to the Ostend hotel, the Countess is knitting, perhaps a spider’s web to trap the couple.

Our detective turns up and the Countess sees a picture from a newspaper of the Bruges murder scene, the young couple visible in the crowd. This scene shows the Countess’ fearful confidence in her own power. She asks Stefan, teasingly, how old he thinks she is, all the while playing with him as a cat plays with a mouse. She is beginning to control the young couple’s actions and thoughts. The Countess talks of her ancestor, Countess Bathory, who bathed in fresh virgin’s blood to keep her body young. Valery is very disturbed by the tone of the conversation and more than a little jealous of the Countess’ strange allure. Valery leaves, ascending the staircase, and Ilona is waiting for her. Taking a shower, Valery becomes aware that Ilona is watching her-she screams.

An electric storm has a sadistic effect on Stefan, who beats Valery with a belt. The final straw having been drawn, Valery dresses - in white - and decides to leave. The Countess, also dressed in white, sees her go, and Ilona, in a black dress with a string of white pearls, goes to Stefan. She makes love to Stefan, her every move like a cat’s.

There may be too much to savour in this rich and deadly confection and to go on would spoil the viewer’s pleasure – or stomach – and so I will leave you to find out the twists and turns for yourself. From what is basically a traditional vampire story rich with dangerous symbolism and added stylish eroticism, Harry Kumel conjures up one of the most sumptuous, tempting and absolutely gorgeous horror films of the modern age, one you will dream of for years afterwards. 

The Limited Edition Blu Ray comes with a wealth of extras and lavish packaging.

Scenester

1/10/25

Preorders:

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/daughters-of-darkness-uhd-bd-le

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/daughters-of-darkness-le

Site: https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/