THE BLOOD COUNTESS

119 MINUTES | FANTASY, MYSTERY, BLACK COMEDY | 2026

Synopsis

After ‘The Blood Countess’ (Isabelle Huppert) awakens from her long beauty sleep and emerges from the underworld, she and her devoted maid (Birgit Minichmayr) embark on a baroque quest through Vienna to recover the red elixir of life. The book, if found and read by the vampire’s enemies, threatens their vampire realm... Hot on their heels are a vegetarian nephew (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector, and more lively characters in this twisted and humorous vampire tale.

Credits

DIRECTED BY: Ulrike Ottinger (TICKET OF NO RETURN, FREAK ORLANDO)

PRODUCERS: Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (INGEBORG BACHMANN – JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT), Bady Minck (HINTERLAND), and Bettina Brokemper (EP on THE DEVIL'S BATH; co-pro MELANCHOLIA, NYMPHOMANIAC)

CAST: Isabelle Huppert, Birgit Minichmayr (DAUGHTERS, DOWNFALL, THE WHITE RIBBON), Lars Eidinger (DYING, PERSONAL SHOPPER), Thomas Schubert (AFIRE) and André Jung (THE FORGER), Tom Neuwirth aka Conchita Wurst (Eurovision Song Contest 2014 winner)

PRESS QUOTES

“Premiering out of competition at the Berlinale, the lush, ludicrous, often laugh-out-loud result looks likely to be the most widely distributed film of her career, also offering ample enjoyment to camp aficionados unfamiliar with the director’s work.”

“Isabelle Huppert as a hungry, horny, haute couture-inclined incarnation of Báthory, there’s a devoted audience for whom it will go very far indeed.”

Variety

"If you ever wondered what kind of bizarro Mittel European mutant baby would result from the marriage of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. Perhaps it would look something like Ulrike Ottinger’s Viennese waltz of grotesquerie, The Blood Countess."

“Huppert as Countess Elizabeth, a commanding vision in a blood-red gown.”

The Hollywood Reporter

“From the dark heart of central Europe comes a midnight-movie romp through the moonlit urban glades of Euro-goth and camp from German director Ulrike Ottinger.”

The Guardian

“Come for Huppert sinking her fangs into people’s necks like the world’s most chic Nosferatu, stay for the flamboyant backdrops and garments.”

The Film Stage

“The Blood Countess, an extravagant horror spoof from German counterculture doyenne Ulrike Ottinger.”

Screen International

“There is something irresistible about how committed to its zaniness it is, and something equally intriguing as to how bizarre everything on show is.”

Loud and Clear Reviews