Daughters of Darkness (1971)
It’s PRIDE MONTH! Although I have seen a good portion of the LGTBQ favorites/classics, this film I revisit regularly because I adore it. It’s a part of the sapphic vampiric women of the night genre which includes, The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, and Vampyros Lesbos. This film is Daughters of Darkness (1971).
Starring Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig as the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Danielle Ouimet as Valerie Chilton, John Karlen as Stefan Chilton, and Andrea Rau as Ilona, Daughters of Darkness is the story about a young, newlywed couple on their honeymoon in a lavish hotel located in Belgium. They are isolated as the hotel doesn’t receive a lot of visitors during the Winter months. But while they are there, it is visited by the illustrious Countess. She takes to the young woman, Valerie, and uses her current female lover, Illona, to seduce and distract the husband so she can have Valerie all to herself. It’s a simple, yet alluring tale, with a mesmerizing performance by the absolutely enthralling Delphine.
Daughters of Darkness is in my top five vampire films of all time, and Delphine as Countess Bathory is my absolute favorite female vampire in film! The movie is beautifully done and Delphine as the Countess is ICONIC. The costume design for her is perfect, along with the coif of her hair. She purrs every line and it’s no wonder why everyone falls deeply for her. Men want her, women want her, and women want to be her. The ruby red lips, pale skin and platinum hair is second to none when it comes to the aesthetics of comparing her to other female vampires. Her vampiric spirit lives on in Lady Gaga’s portrayal of The Countess in season five of American Horror Story: Hotel.
Though Daughters of Darkness falls prey to the stereotype of depicting lesbian characters as predatory animals, it’s the desire for nubile flesh that makes viewers love this genre of films. Who doesn’t love to watch sexy vampire women be with one another? It’s a total thirst trap! It’s a stunning film, with great performances, cinematography, and well, VAMPIRES.
If you haven’t seen Daughters of Darkness, then make this your first watch for PRIDE MONTH. If you don’t enjoy it, send me a message, and I will sic my “assistant” after you.
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