The Vourdalak Brings Vampire Horror Into Classic Creepiness, See The New Dark Drama In Action
Who doesn’t love a good vampire film? It’s a bloodthirsty genre where elegant but murderous creatures roam in familiar tales of eternal damnation and nocturnal predation. But The Vourdalak is not your typical vampire film. See the trailer below.
What appears to be a simple act of hospitality soon spirals into a nightmarish descent as the mysterious residents of the manor reveal their dark secrets.
Thanks to French director Adrien Beau, an anomaly emerges from the undead’s well-trodden path. The Vourdalak, inspired by a novella that predates Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula by over half a century, is a French cinematic venture that promises to redefine our perception of vampiric folklore.
The Vourdalak is Beau’s directorial debut and it’s a surreal odyssey into the macabre. The narrative unfolds with the arrival of the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, who, after a harrowing attack, seeks refuge in an eerie, isolated manor nestled in the remote countryside. Yet, what appears to be a simple act of hospitality soon spirals into a nightmarish descent as the mysterious residents of the manor reveal their dark secrets.
The film’s trailer offers a glimpse into its peculiar universe, where the grotesque meets the absurd in a tapestry of unsettling imagery. From whimsical dances to haunting specters of dead children, The Vourdalak defies convention at every turn.
Yet, amidst the surrealism lies a sinister truth—the titular creature, a vourdalak, hungers not for mere mortals but for the blood of kin and loved ones—an insidious twist on vampire lore that sets this vampire tale and showcases a fresh perspective on the age-old archetype of the undead.
The film’s trailer offers a glimpse into its peculiar universe, where the grotesque meets the absurd in a tapestry of unsettling imagery.
The Vourdalak premiered at the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival where it was reported that the film orchestrated a symphony of unease, drawing audiences into a world where reality blurs and nightmares reign supreme, all thanks to Beau, in collaboration with co-writer Hadrien Bouvier and the stellar cast, including Kacey Mottet Klein, Ariane Labed, Grégoire Colin, and Vassili Schneider, who each breathe undead life into the haunting feature.
The Vourdalak draws its inspiration from Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy’s gothic novella, The Family of the Vourdalak, originally penned in French in 1839 (Dracula wasn’t written until 1897). Tolstoy crafted this eerie tale during a journey to France from Frankfurt, where he was affiliated with the Russian Embassy.
The author’s exploration of the vourdalak, a term originating from Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin’s early 19th-century works, delves into Slavic and Balkan folklore, where it dances with vampiric lore and gothic intrigue in a performance that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
The Vourdalak draws its inspiration from Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy’s gothic novella, The Family of the Vourdalak.
Beau’s adaptation of The Vourdalak belongs to a category of vampire films that deviate from traditional portrayals of the undead. If you liked films like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Let the Right One In (2008), Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), or Byzantium (2012), there is a good chance you’ll love this very strange, but deathly captivating French film.
As anticipation mounts for its release, horror cinephiles are invited to immerse themselves in the twisted realms of The Vourdalak as it makes its theatrical debut on June 28.
