Metamorphosis

MTI Home Video

R1 DVD

Not another vampire movie? Well, yes, but a very good one. With actors like Christopher Lambert it carries a higher quality of acting than usual. The story also delves into the legend of Countess Elisabeth Bathory, a Hungarian noblewoman who was reputed to believe that she could keep her youthful looks by drinking and bathing in the blood of virgin girls.

The film starts with the Palatine Thurzo, a local high official of the church, invading the Bathory castle. The Countess is walled up in a tower of the building. Her daughter, however, escapes but only after her mother curses Thurzo and his progeny to all die unnatural deaths. She also gives her daughter the vampire ability and immortality, so her daughter can hunt down the Thurzos and their descendants.

We now move forward to modern times. A group of three young American tourists is trying to get to the old castle, now a monastery. Keith is writing a book about the Bathorys. With him is J.J., the compulsory annoying, crass and insensitive type so popular as the sidekick in American films, and J.J.’s girlfriend Kim. Along the way they meet Elizabeth (Countess Bathory’s immortal daughter, in case you couldn’t see it coming). She has just attacked the last surviving Thurzo (Christopher Lambert) and was ready to rip his throat out just as the tourists arrive. Leaving the job unfinished, she has unwittingly turned Thurzo into a vampire. She and Keith fall in love. Elizabeth also wants to go to the old family castle, now a monastery, where she knows Thurzo will be hiding. When they reach the castle, all are in danger as Thurzo’s strength and new-found vampire skills will lead to their deaths unless Elizabeth can help them.

The legend is skilfully developed throughout the film. The supernatural aspects are integrated in a believable way as recounted by an old priest. The film also mocks the religious trappings overlaid on the vampire legend – Thurzo is not affected by “two crossed sticks of wood” or holy water. He is no respecter of priests or nuns. He can punch his way right through a Bible. He can, however, be killed by the traditional wooden stake. Even here the movie legend is corrected – the local people would drive a stake through the heart of a corpse to stop it rising again if they suspected it was a vampire. Getting close enough to a vampire to kill it with a stake would seem unlikely. Removing the silly trappings that have grown up around the legend seems to give it extra credibility.

A lot of this is due to Hungarian writer Tibor Fonyodi’s passion for the history, culture and paranormal phenomena of his country. Instead of the usual superficial treatment so often given to vampire stories he shows us some of the Hungarian culture that led to the legend. The cinematography adds to the effect – castles and monasteries perched high on rocky cliffs, old buildings that ARE old buildings, not film sets, and crumbling peasant villages.

The sensitive and sensible treatment given to the legend makes this film stand out in the genre.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 4 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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