Adrien Beau’s feature debut The Vourdalak is a horror film that brings a unique vibe to the table. A French, period-set vampire tale that utilizes some unique effects work to bring the titular fiend to life. The Serbian folk monster the Vourdalak is not exactly the same thing as a vampire, but they’re close cousins. The legends carry a lot of similarities, and Beau uses those to play with audience expectations, while throwing in some unexpected turns at the same time.
Based on a 19th century novel by Aleksey Konstantonovich Tolstoy, The Vourdalak opens with a young French nobleman, the Marquis d’Urfe (Kacey Mottet Klein), lost in the Serbian woods. He has been robbed by bandits, and is completely alone. He eventually finds his way to the home of Gorcha, where he is taken in by the family. Though Gorcha is the patriarch, he is absent when the Marquis arrives. Instead, he is taken in by Gorcha’s children Anja (Claire Duburcq) and Piotr (Vassili Schneider). Gorcha’s eldest son, Jegor (Grégoire Colin), his wife, and their young son, Vlad (Gabriel Pavie) also reside at the manor.
Not long after the Marquis arrives and is given food and shelter, Jegor returns home. Upon entering his house, he finds the surprise not only of a stranger in their midst, but he learns that Gorcha has been absent for six days. Before he left, he gave strict instructions to the remaining members of his family. If he returns within six days, they are to welcome him with open arms. But if he returns after the six day mark, they should turn him away and drive a stake through his heart, for he would no longer be the father they knew.
Jegor, ever the dutiful son, ignores the warning, more intent on finding his father and returning things to a state of normalcy than any strange superstitions. The Marquis is downright baffled. As the family confers and argues about Gorcha’s instructions, a word gets repeated in hushed tones: Vourdalak.
The Vourdalak is a feared creature that, though dead, walks and talks and feeds on the blood of the living. As the family sits down to dinner, the bell tolls the end of the sixth day, and Gorcha finally emerges. Is he the heavy-handed patriarch come to reclaim his place in the family home? Or is he something far more vile, from beyond the grave?
Since we’re all smart little horror nerds, I’m sure we can all guess the answer. But the film does a great job of playing with the audience and our expectations. It’s not so much a question of “is Gorcha a blood-sucking fiend?” but more of a question of how the family will come to find out, and what will happen now that he has returned home. One of the fascinating things about this character is the way that Beau brings Gorcha to life. Rather than cast an actor, he utilizes some masterful effects work and uses a creepy puppet to play the role, which Beau voices himself. The family doesn’t make any comment on their father’s appearance when he finally returns, so the skeletal, emaciated, fiendish look must be something that they are used to and not a huge change from the Gorcha that left the house a week prior. But it certainly unnerves the Marquis (and us, as well).
If the plot sounds slightly familiar, it’s because you may have encountered this story before. It was used as one of the segments in Mario Bava’s 1963 anthology Black Sabbath. Here, the full length run time really gives the story a chance to breathe. And since it’s not a terribly well-known tale, Beau has a lot of space to play with it. Particularly when it comes to the visuals. On top of one of the best puppets I have seen in recent memory, the film itself is just gorgeous. The vibrant colors, soft lighting, and rich composition make every shot look like a painting. It has the feel and the look of a film that could have been made decades ago. It leans into the beauty of the scenery and the little visual details to give the film an extra dimension. And though the film is on the minimalist side, it has more than its share of creepy moments.
It’s really a unique film. The vampire story is something we are, of course, familiar with, but since this is a folklore creature that is similar (though not the same) as a vampire, it gives a bit of leeway in how it behaves and what it does. Which means that as the audience, we can’t always predict its next step. The actors do a great job of bringing this story to life. There is a dynamic at play among the family members that really conveys the patriarchal and hierarchical nature of their relationships with one another. Gotcha is in charge and Jegor is second in command. The rest of the family must bow their heads and fall in line. There is a tension that is evident from the moment they are all on screen together. And in a way, that tension makes it easier for the Vourdalake to come into their midst and pull them apart. They don’t have a strong structure to begin with, because their family unit is held together by fear. So when something truly terrible enters their midst, they are powerless to defend against it.
Beau creates something really special with The Vourdalak. It’s something that lives at the intersection of vampire film, folk horror and European period piece. At one moment, it is serene, and at the next terrifying. It’s a captivating tale that will please fans of classic vampire stories and folk horrors alike.
Movie Score: 4/5
Emily von Seele hails from Seattle, where it rains a lot, which gives her plenty of excuses to stay inside and watch movies. She has written for Bloody Disgusting, Daily Dead, the Women in Horror Annual and Grim Magazine, and is co-host of the Dead Ringers podcast. You can usually catch Emily on Twitter (@horrorellablog), where she has been known to gab excessively about movies and tweet adorable pics of her two cats - seriously, they are the cutest ever.
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