05/02/2025 - The gothic vampire mystery inspired by legendary 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory will be presented at the EFM by Magnify

Actress Isabelle Huppert (© Fabrizio de Gennaro/Cineuropa)

Blending gothic horror with mystery and dark humour, The Blood Countess sees French star Isabelle Huppert step into the role of the notorious Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Boasting an all-star ensemble cast, the film, directed by Germany’s Ulrike Ottinger, is set to take flight at the imminent European Film Market (EFM), where US sales agent Magnify will launch its international sales.

Inspired by the legend of the aforementioned 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman, The Blood Countess follows Countess Báthory (Huppert) as she awakens from her long beauty sleep and reemerges from the underworld. Accompanied by her loyal maid (Birgit Minichmayr), she embarks on a baroque journey through Vienna in search of the elusive red elixir of life. Her quest is complicated by a group of unlikely adversaries, including her vegetarian nephew (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists and a police inspector, all determined to uncover secrets that could disrupt the vampire realm.

The film sports an impressive ensemble cast, with Huppert leading alongside Austrian actress Minichmayr, who starred in two films that screened at last year’s Berlinale – Andrea Gets a Divorce [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Sleeping with a Tiger [+see also:
film review
interview: Anja Salomonowitz
film profile]. Austrian thesp Thomas Schubert (known for leading Afire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile]), German actor Lars Eidinger (Dying [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matthias Glasner
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile], Personal Shopper [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Artemio Benki
interview: Olivier Assayas
film profile]), and Luxembourgish stage and film actor André Jung (The Forger [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Maggie Peren
film profile]) are also on board.

A seminal figure of the German New Wave, Ottinger is renowned for her visually daring and avant-garde storytelling in films such as Ticket of No Return and Freak Orlando. In 2020, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Berlin Film Festival. The screenplay for The Blood Countess was co-written by Ottinger and Austrian playwright and Nobel Prize-winning author Elfriede Jelinek, known for The Piano Teacher. The production is backed by an accomplished creative team, including Austrian cinematographer Martin Gschlacht (The Devil's Bath [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
film profile]), a Silver Bear winner at last year’s Berlinale, as well as costume designer Jorge Jara (Freak Orlando) and production designer Christina Schaffer (Fever [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).

Commenting on the project and how the character of Countess Báthory resonates with modern times, Ottinger told Variety: “This is the right time for the Blood Countess to wake up from her deep sleep and savour the present. The world is upside down, and events are repeating themselves in an eerie way. Vienna, with its historic buildings and timeless flair, is the perfect crime scene. With her sophistication, beauty and calculation, the Blood Countess casts a spell over all those who serve her, flee from her or pursue her.”

The Blood Countess is an Austrian-Luxembourgish-German co-production staged by Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, of Amour Fou Vienna (Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Margarethe von Trotta
film profile]); Bady Minck (The Fourth Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: David Oelhoffen
film profile]), of Amour Fou Luxembourg; and Bettina Brokemper, of Heimatfilm, who previously served as an executive producer on The Devil’s Bath, and co-produced Melancholia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile] and Nymphomaniac [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Louise Vesth
film profile]. With Magnify – Magnolia Pictures’ international sales arm – handling the film at the EFM, it is expected to generate significant buzz as a standout European genre project.