Magnify has boarded “The Blood Countess,” a vampire mystery movie starring Isabelle Huppert as Countess Elizabeth Báthory, a 16th-century Hungarian serial killer.
Directed by renowned German New Wave artist and filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, the movie is inspired by the life and legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. The screenplay was penned by Ottinger and Elfriede Jelinek, the Nobel Prize in Literature winner and acclaimed author of “The Piano Teacher.”
Huppert stars in the film opposite Birgit Minichmayr (“Daughters”), Lars Eidinger (“Dying”), Thomas Schubert (“Afire”) and André Jung (“The Forger”).
“The Blood Countess” is one of the hottest European projects to head to the EFM next week where Magnify’s sales team, led by Lorna Lee Torres, will be introducing the movie to buyers.
Huppert plays the Countess Elizabeth Báthory (aka ‘The Blood Countess’), as she 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,” the synopsis reads.
“”The Blood Countess’ is an immersive and delightfully eccentric vampire mystery with a vibrant cast of characters, led by the captivating Blood Countess herself,” said Magnify in a statement, adding that “The story unfolds as a highly visual, narrative scavenger hunt — playing with history, modernity, humor, and style. It is the perfect reintroduction of Ottinger’s work to a global audience that has grown in appetite for visually striking, bold and smart genre cinema.”
Producers are Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (“Ingeborg Bachmann” – Journey into the desert”) of Amour Fou Vienna, Bady Minck (“Hinterland”) of Amour Fou Luxembourg, and Bettina Brokemper of Heimatfilm (exec producer on “The Devil’s Bath”).
The key crew is lead by cinematographer Martin Gschlacht who notably worked on “The Devil’s Bath” which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale last year; costume designer Jorge Jara (“Freak Orlando”) and production designer Christina Schaffer (“The Girl With a Pearl Earring”).
Ottinger, whose best known films include “Madame X – An Absolute Ruler,” “Ticket of No Return” and “Freak Orlando,” said “This is the right time for the Blood Countess to wake up from her deep sleep and savor the present” because “The world is upside down and events are repeating themselves in an eerie way.”
“Vienna, with its historic buildings and timeless flair, is the perfect crime scene. With her sophistication, beauty, and calculation, the Blood Countess casts a spell over all those who serve her, flee from her, or pursue her,” Ottinger continued.
The filmmaker has received accolades for her work, including at the Berlin Film Festival where she got a lifetime achievement nod in 2020.
Magnify’s robust lineup also includes Berlin Generation Kplus selection “The Botanist;” Albert Birney’s Sundance sci-fi stunner “Obex;” Sundance animated film “Endless Cookie” by Seth and Peter Scriver; Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana,” in partnership with Film4, currently in post-production; and Bretten Hannam’s upcoming genre thriller “Place of Ghosts,” currently in post-production.
