Daughters of Darkness

The lesbian vampire genre has rarely been more elegantly—or provocatively—represented than in Harry Kümel's 1971 Daughters of Darkness, which recycles the familiar story of the real-life serial-killing Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614) and remains disturbing and perversely fascinating 35 years later (in one of the audio commentary tracks, Kümel enthuses over the fact that one scene remains, as he puts it, both “blasphemous and scandalous”). The odd, fragmentary plot finds the countess, played by the striking Delphine Seyrig (star of the art house favorite Last Year at Marienbad), seducing a new bride and her sadistic husband (played by American actor John Karlen)—with lots of artful gore and scads of nudity—though as usual with such Euro-horror entries the continuity is ragged and atmosphere is much more important than story. Boasting a fine restored transfer, the first disc of this double-disc set features the director's commentary and another from Karlen, interviews (with Kümel, his co-writer, and two cast members), a stills gallery, a trailer, and more. The major extra, however, is the bonus disc containing a second lesbian vampire film, Vicente Aranda's The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)—very loosely based on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla—which serves up another tale of a newlywed couple threatened by a supernatural force (in this case an undead female ancestor). Like Kümel's film, Aranda's favors effect over logic, but it also exhibits an hallucinatory quality that keeps one watching. Horror aficionados will definitely enjoy this double feature. Recommended. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 1, 2011—Blue Underground, 100 min., not rated, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1971's Daughters of Darkness features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first with co-writer/director Harry Kümel; the second with costar John Karlen and journalist David Del Valle), “Locations of Darkness” interviews with Kümel and co-writer/co-producer Pierre Drouot (22 min.), a “Playing the Victim” interview with costar Danielle Ouimet (16 min.), a “Daughter of Darkness” interview with costar Andrea Rau (8 min.), the bonus 1972 film The Blood Spattered Bride, radio spots, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a beloved lesbian vampire flick.]