Daughters of Darkness (1971)

A newlywed couple are passing through a vacation resort. Their paths cross with a mysterious, strikingly beautiful countess and her aide.

Director:

Harry Kümel

Writers:

Pierre Drouot (scenario), Harry Kümel (scenario)

Stars:

Delphine Seyrig, John Karlen, Danielle Ouimet

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Delphine Seyrig	...	Countess Bathory
John Karlen	...	Stefan / Valerie's husband
Danielle Ouimet	...	Valerie / Stefan's wife
Andrea Rau	...	Ilona / Countess' secretary
Paul Esser	...	Hotel clerk
Georges Jamin	...	Retired Policeman
Joris Collet	...	Butler
Fons Rademakers	...	Mother

Storyline

A chic, good-looking and suitably 70's couple arrive at an extravagant and deserted seaside hotel after eloping. Stefan is wealthy and happily English, with a hidden streak of sadism, while Valarie is intelligent but of inferior (Swedish) blood. To keep her with him at the eerie hotel he lies consistantly about his relationship with his mother and his plans to tell her of their marriage. Meanwhile he has mysterious phone conversations with an older, dominant and pampered sissy. Two fresh guests arrive; the Hungarian countess, Elizabeth Bathory and her voluptuous protege, Ilona. Virgin corpses begin showing up about the city drained of their blood. A wary detective lurks around the hotel taunting his only suspect, the Countess.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | naive young woman | newlywed couple | abusive husband | controlling husband | 

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Taglines:

An erotic nightmare of vampire lust [DVD]

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dining room of Palais des Thermes (Ostend) with the coloured glass wall representing the sea with seagulls, where Valerie and Stefan are eating the first evening and where countess Bathory sees them for the first time, still exists but the trinkhall (300 meters from the hotel) with the seduction scene between countess Bathory and Valerie ("little Edelweis") is no longer there. The entrance hall is at Hotel Astoria (with the conversation with Pierre and where countess Bathory is knitting), but the rooms and windows are shot at the Grand Hotel des Thermes. If countess Bathory has been there 40 years ago, this is not probable because the hotel is build only in 1932 and the action takes place in 1970...

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Goofs

When Ilona is lying on the bathroom floor, bikini marks are visible. Vampires are not supposed to have tan lines.

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Quotes

Countess Bathory: I feel it in my bones, the night is dying...

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Alternate Versions

A special edition was released featuring footage cut to obtain an "R" rating and other additional scenes.

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Connections

Featured in The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Daughters of Darkness (2018)

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Soundtracks

Les Dunes d'Ostende
Written and Performed by François de Roubaix And Orchestra

User Reviews

Part masterpiece/part schlock

I first saw this movie when I was 12 and it had a huge impact on my early artistic endeavors as a young man. I've seen it periodically over the years and can see what intrigued me about it so much. It's part Ingmar Bergman film and part bad vampire movie. There are some beautifully filmed scenes along with some awful dialogue. The brilliant Delphine Seyrig is superbly creepy. The other performances are only mediocre. The music is appropriately over the top; sometimes sinister, sometimes goofy- seventies movie. The new director's cut contains more sex and nudity, probably to avoid getting an x-rating at the time of release. It's definitely worth checking out if you've never seen it.

Details

Country:

Belgium France West Germany

Language:

English Dutch French German

Release Date:

22 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daughters of Darkness

Filming Locations:

Engelsestraat 18, 8000 Brugge, Belgium

Company Credits

Production Co:

Showking Films, Maya Films, Ciné Vog Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 100 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1