Daughters of Darkness (1971) (Limited Edition) (4K Ultra HD Review)
DIRECTED BY: Harry Kümel
STARRING: Delphine Seyrig, John Karlen, Daniele Ouimet
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:66/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Radiance Films
Daughters of Darkness is the kind of movie that pours itself into a silk robe, slinks across a hotel hallway lit only by mood lighting and questionable choices, and whispers, “You’re about to watch the classiest vampire soap opera ever filmed.” And honestly? You are.
Harry Kümel’s 1971 cult classic is part vampire tale, part marital drama, and part extended fashion commercial for velvet capes and razor-sharp cheekbones. This is the rare horror film where everyone looks so immaculate, you start wondering if immortality just means perfect hair forever. If so, sign me up.
At the heart of the movie is the legendary Delphine Seyrig as Countess Bathory, giving a performance so glamorous and predatory that you never know if she’s about to seduce someone, devour them, or ask if they’ve tried the continental breakfast. She glides through the eerily empty seaside Grand Hotel like she owns the place—which, spiritually, she does.
The newlywed couple she decides to toy with spends most of the movie treating each other with the warmth and emotional availability of two mannequins trapped in a cold marriage display window. Honestly, Bathory could’ve saved herself a lot of time by just waiting—they were going to destroy themselves without any supernatural help.
And then there’s the hotel staff, who seem completely unfazed that the only guests in the entire building are a pair of suspicious newlyweds and a mysterious, fabulously dressed vampire with a traveling companion who looks like she stepped out of a cursed fashion catalog. But that’s the charm. Logic took a vacation. Only vibes remain.
The film moves at a hypnotic pace—with the emphasis on “hypnotic”—but it works. It’s like being slowly seduced by a candlelit painting. The gorgeous color palette, the decadent set design, and Seyrig’s “I could kill you or kiss you, sometimes both” presence all make for a movie that feels like Euro-horror by way of a perfume ad.
Daughters of Darkness is stylish, sensual, and completely committed to being the most elegant vampire film you’ll ever watch in which almost nothing happens and yet somehow EVERYTHING happens. If you’re in the mood for atmospheric lesbian vampirism, marital dysfunction, and more satin than a Victorian boudoir, this one absolutely delivers.
Just don’t expect anyone to act like a normal human being. They left that behind along with the sunlight.
LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES
- 4K restoration from the original negative by Blue Underground, approved by director Harry Kümel
- Audio commentary authors Virginie Sélavy and Lindsay Hallam (2025)
- New interview with director Harry Kümel and critic Anne Billson (2025)
- Archival interview with Delphine Seyrig in which the actor discusses her career (1989)
- On set footage with Harry Kümel and stuntman Thierry Hallaert (1970)
- Behind-the-scenes footage of Delphine Seyrig shooting a scene from the film and an interview with Harry Kümel (1971)
- Interview with critic and author Kim Newman (2025)
- Immoral Tales: Daughters of Darkness, Class, Cruelty, and the Cinematic Legacy of Bathory – a visual essay by Kat Ellinger, author of the monograph on the film (2025)
- Anna the Maid – Harry Kümel’s short film based on a Jean Cocteau poem about a murderous maid (1958, 5 mins)
- Aether – Harry Kümel’s short film about the surreal visions of a man following an accident (1960, 7 mins, co-directed by Herman Wuyts)
- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound booklet featuring new writing by Suzanne Boleyn, Martyn Conterio, Joseph Dwyer, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Mairéad Roche
- Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
