Part gothic fantasia, part historical reverie, The Blood Countess finds Ulrike Ottinger at her most audacious, crafting a spellbinding celebration of imagination and cinematic freedom.
Isabelle Huppert reigns supreme in a surreal vampire fantasia.
The Blood Countess 2026
Die Blutgrafin
The Blood Countess marks the triumphant return of visionary German filmmaker and visual artist Ulrike Ottinger with one of the most exuberant, mischievous and visually intoxicating works of her career. Reimagining the legendary Erzsébet Báthory as a glamorous vampire adrift in contemporary Vienna, Ottinger crafts a delirious fantasia in which history, myth and satire dance together with irresistible freedom.
At the film’s centre stands a magnificent Isabelle Huppert, whose icy elegance, razor-sharp comic timing and magnetic screen presence transform the infamous Countess into an unforgettable cinematic creation. Around her unfolds a richly imagined Vienna where underground grottos, imperial monuments, hidden crypts and eccentric cabarets become the backdrop for an adventure that is equal parts gothic fairytale, absurdist comedy and political allegory.
Martin Gschlacht’s sumptuous cinematography drenches the screen in luxuriant colours, while the lavish production design and spectacular costumes create a universe suspended between dream and nightmare, decadence and delight. The journey culminates in a glorious finale at Vienna’s Prater, the city's historic amusement park, where fantasy reaches its fullest expression. Dazzling, audacious and utterly unique, The Blood Countess is simply unmissable.
– Maria Giovanna Vagenas