Daughters Of Darkness (aka Les Lèvres Rouges) (1971) ****

I've steadily grown to appreciate Harry Kümel's Daughters Of Darkness (aka Les lèvres rouges) (1971) more with each viewing. This was the third time I've seen the film and maybe it had something to do with it looking absolutely incredible via Blue Underground's new limited edition 4K UHD, but something just clicked and I realized that I flat-out love it.

I'll admit I haven't seen that many sapphic vampire films but this is the best one that I have seen. Delphine Seyrig as the Countess Elizabeth Báthory is pure seduction. And while Danielle Ouimet and Andrea Rau's acting chops may not be up to par with Seyrig's, they're both well cast. All three are strikingly beautiful in their eye-popping costumes. Eduard van der Enden's lush cinematography captures everything with style. DOD is clearly a film in love with its images, with cinema itself.

Sound is important too. François de Roubaix's score is an all-timer, creating a soundscape that wonderfully accentuates the sumptuous visuals. The horns, strings, piano, guitar, bass, mandolin, drums, xylophone, harmonica, and zither run the gamut of moods. This theme (and its variations) simply slays me with its groove (and I think Portishead owe a great debt to its sound). It's the type of score that you listen to on its own because it's that good.

While there is a healthy amount of nudity in the film, much of the eroticism stems from what is implied—the allure of the forbidden and the mysterious. It's actually quite a slow burner, which gives it a certain pedigree—more arthouse than grindhouse. But it's the blending of those two types of films that makes DOD work so well.