The Vourdalak (2023)
August 31, 2024 9:26 AM - Subscribe
Lost in a hostile forest, a noble emissary of the King of France finds refuge in the home of a strange family.
Official website.
Summary via Rotten Tomatoes:
"When the Marquis d'Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge at an eerie, isolated manor. The resident family, reluctant to take him in, exhibits strange behavior as they await the imminent return of their father, Gorcha. But what begins simply as strange quickly devolves into a full-fledged nightmare when Gorcha returns, seemingly no longer himself.... Adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by over half a century, The Vourdalak is an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that will leave you reeling and giddy in equal measure."
Translated version of The Family if the Vourdalak, the 1884 novella the movie is based on.
Interview (in French) with director Adrien Beau on YouTube
Written interview (in English) with Beau via Cineuropa.
For further reading on similar vampire folk legends, check out the Schrattl.
Come for the vibes, stay for the vampire puppet!
Official website.
Summary via Rotten Tomatoes:
"When the Marquis d'Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge at an eerie, isolated manor. The resident family, reluctant to take him in, exhibits strange behavior as they await the imminent return of their father, Gorcha. But what begins simply as strange quickly devolves into a full-fledged nightmare when Gorcha returns, seemingly no longer himself.... Adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by over half a century, The Vourdalak is an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that will leave you reeling and giddy in equal measure."
Translated version of The Family if the Vourdalak, the 1884 novella the movie is based on.
Interview (in French) with director Adrien Beau on YouTube
Written interview (in English) with Beau via Cineuropa.
For further reading on similar vampire folk legends, check out the Schrattl.
Come for the vibes, stay for the vampire puppet!
I enjoyed this, though I'd rate the spooky/horror level very low. I suppose I could have been disappointed because I was expecting extreme spookiness, but I think it was still amusing and campy enough that it won me over.
posted by fleacircus at 8:19 PM on September 1
posted by fleacircus at 8:19 PM on September 1
I won't lie I was pretty curious about this one - but it is very clearly camp. For those wondering, the same story was adapted in Mario Bava's Black Sabbath and Night of the Devils.
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:20 AM on September 3 [2 favorites]
posted by Ashwagandha at 9:20 AM on September 3 [2 favorites]
I really enjoyed it. It does have something of a 70s vibe about it. Maybe the grainy picture and excellent music that sounds period appropriate are what sets it apart from a more modern movie feel. The absence of the usual vampire tropes was a plus. I can't see how the movie works without the puppet, looking like a corpse well of its way to decomposition.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:24 PM on September 3
posted by 2N2222 at 9:24 PM on September 3
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The puppet is fantastic and something I've never seen before- usually the use of puppets in horror is limited to creepy dolls or brief glimpses of a monster, not a full performance.
Adding this to my list of yearly spooky season watches!
posted by haplesschild at 9:31 AM on August 31