The Vourdalak review.
Everything old is new again in this gorgeous gothic vampire fairy tale.
Opens exclusively in US theaters on June 28th from Oscilloscope Laboratories.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The Vourdalak
Directed by Adrien Beau
Written by Adrien Beau and Hadrien Bouvier
Starring Kacey Mottet Klein, Ariane Labed, Grégoire Colin, Vassili Schneider, Claire Duburcq, Gabriel Pavie and Erwan Ribard
The Vuordalak Review
The Vourdalak is based on a piece of fiction written almost 60 years before Bram Stoker unleashed his vampire opus Dracula on the world. La Famille du Vourdalak wasn’t the first piece of vampire fiction. Writings about the creature date back to poetry in the 18th century. Still, anything pre-Dracula has an added layer of intrigue baked into it. Stoker’s novel is such a permanent fixture of vampire lore…a line of demarcation that everyone can see. The Vourdalak embraces its age. It leans into it in both storytelling and aesthetics. The result is a movie that can transport you to another time and place if you let it. With one possible caveat that may pull you back out.
An emissary of the King of France finds himself lost in the woods. He finds shelter with a family that is dealing with troubles of their own. The family patriarch left home despite his advanced age. He left them with a dire warning. If he returns after six days have passed…they shouldn’t let him in. The emissary arrives on the sixth day with no sign of the eldest family member. Yet.
The first thing that will catch your attention about The Vourdalak is its striking visual style. Shot on film…the movie looks like a gothic fairy tale. Dreamlike qualities and a beautifully washed-out color palette effectively weather the picture and paint a setting that feels very of its intended time. The Vourdalak looks like an 18th century period piece. It feels like a dream. A very dark dream.
The Marquis d’Urfe (Kacey Mottet Klein), complete with his full regal dress and painted face, is our gateway into the strange world of The Vourdalak. He spends a good deal of time standing back and observing the increasingly wild times that besiege his hosts. He arrives at the home of Gorcha on the recommendation of a hermit (Erwan Ribard) who isn’t interested in housing the lost emissary. Gorcha is the old man who has recently departed the home. The Marquis is promised lodging and a horse to continue his journey…but it requires staying for a time while the horse is acquired.
Gorcha’s family includes eldest son Jegor (Grégoire Colin), his wife Anja (Claire Duburcq), and young son Vlad (Gabriel Pavie). Gorcha’s daughter Sdenka (Ariane Labed) immediately catches the Marquis’ eye. Youngest son Piotr (Vassili Schneider) rounds out the household. Except, of course, for Gorcha himself. You may have noticed that Gorcha’s name has been thrown around without crediting the actor who portrays him. Writer/director Adrien Beau provides the voice of Gorcha. Gorcha himself is…well…appropriately not human.
When Gorcha enters the story of The Vourdalak he is initially kept under wraps. Literally. Found laying (apparently) near death in the forest…all we can see of the family patriarch are his bony hands and dead eyes peaking through cloth. When he finally reveals himself, we find that Gorcha is performed by practical effect puppetry. It’s a bold choice to be sure. Jarring…and completely effective in presenting an entity that is no longer a man. It is, however, the one thing that may pull you out of the 18th century fairy tale trance that The Vourdalak wraps you in. It’s worth the risk. Not only is Gorcha a unique antagonist…the strange sight of him opens the door to The Vourdalak’s secret weapon. Wonderful dark comedy.
Gorcha is a dark comedy gold. Vourdalak’s, we learn, target their closest family. From the moment this family’s vourdalak (vampire) plops the severed head of his Turkish enemy on the table in front of him…the movie becomes a as funny as it does deadly. No one is safe. The curmudgeonly patriarch loves his young grandson as much as he hates the family’s barking dog. He treats them with equal care. The Marquis bears witness to devastating moments in the family’s life…committed by a puppet-like man. It’s a wildly entertaining and unpredictable film. An insane love scene, shocking moments of violence, blood spattered faces…The Vourdalak delivers horror spectacle inside of its gorgeous wrapping paper. First time feature director Adrien Beau sets an incredibly high bar for himself. And delivers one of the year’s most unique movies.
Scare Value
When people say “they don’t make ’em like they used to” point them towards The Vourdalak. With beautiful production and a tale that predates Bram Stoker’s famous Count…fans of more traditional horror will find plenty to love here. Not since The Love Witch have we seen a film so perfectly capture the feeling of a true throwback quite like The Vourdalak. It also manages to be darkly funny and totally weird in equal turns.
4/5
The Vourdalak Link
In theaters June 28 – Fandango
