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

I love Harry Kümel's Daughters Of Darkness (aka Les lèvres rouges) (1971) more with each viewing. This was the fourth time I've seen the film and the first with an audience. While I don't find much of the same things as humorous in this film as that particular audience did, I think they seemed to enjoy it. Sadly, a DVD was shown and I think it may have been the 1998 Anchor Bay edition because it looked like a VHS rip. On the other hand, DOD looks absolutely gorgeous via Blue Underground's 2020 limited edition 4K UHD (also still available for a nice price via my friends at Diabolik DVD)—that is the way to see the film. (The Blu-ray in that set, which is from the same 4K restoration, is also a good option.)

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.