Watchlist Wednesdays: The Vourdalak (2023)

If you’re a fan of gothic horror with a twist, The Vourdalak (2023) brings fresh blood to vampire lore while echoing the chilling elegance of 1960s and 70s hammer horror. With a captivating balance of terror and dark comedy, the film reinvigorates classic vampire mythology, exploring themes of family, love, and outdated worldviews under the shadow of a vampire curse. Below, I’ll delve into The Vourdalak's unique plot, aesthetics, and subtext, plus where you can stream it.

The Vourdalak centers on a lost French nobleman, Marquis d’Urfe, who stumbles his way into a family plagued by the vourdalak curse - a Serbian vampire myth that ensnares its victims within their familial bonds. As members of the family fall prey to the curse, they grapple with their dark assumptions of what will happen next. The storyline amplifies tension with the Marquis witnessing each family member’s struggle to save or survive their kin, creating a grimly intimate horror as they are forced to confront the deadly consequences of familial loyalty.

What sets The Vourdalak apart from typical vampire stories is its grounding in and manipulation of folklore. The vourdalak is a kind of vampire who preys on family members, unlike many vampire tales that paint them as ravenous creatures who will prey on anything around them. This blending of horror with familial devotion breeds a daunting moral complexity to the story. Though this particular vamp has been worked with once before in Mario Bava's Black Sabbath anthology, this version allows for a more layered and drawn-out exploration of the Serbian vampire myth, playing with the trauma of losing loved ones while having to choose between allegiance and survival.

The Vourdalak artfully blends dark comedy into its gothic horror landscape, keeping tension alive while adding moments of unexpected levity and campy charm. These touches of humor don’t detract from the horror; instead, they highlight the absurdity of the family’s situation, allowing the film to maintain its uneasy vibe. The comedic beats are woven seamlessly into the narrative, giving viewers a respite - even The Vourdalak's appearance, through patriarch Gorcha, is equal parts silly and unsettling.

Stylistically, The Vourdalak is a gothic revival that pays homage to the horror cinema of the 1960s and 70s, while bringing a new confined feel in contrast to sprawling castles. From its shadow-draped interiors to the haunting, period-specific costume design, the film feels like a love letter to an era of horror where atmosphere was everything. The cinematography, marked by chiaroscuro lighting and rich, yet muted color palettes, mirrors the haunting elegance of classic gothic Hammer films, at times even reaching further back towards German Expressionism, making each scene feel like it was pulled from a forgotten tale.

In The Vourdalak, themes of autonomy and societal norm defiance run deep, especially through the characters of Sdenka and Piotr. Sdenka, a complex and resilient protagonist, is determined to break away from her family’s oppressive traditions, which include both superstitions and an enduring cycle of curses. As she confronts the ideas of her family, she also seeks a life free from the societal expectations placed on her as a woman, yearning to step into a world where she can pursue independence and identity on her terms.

Piotr, her brother, is portrayed as an inherently queer character, striving to dismantle the pressures of traditional masculinity. He feels confined by his family’s views, particularly his older brother’s and father’s expectations for him to embody a conventional male role, while often mocking his soft nature. By challenging these standards, Piotr highlights a subversive exploration of gender and identity within the film. This blend of feminist and queer perspectives not only enriches the characters’ depth but also modernizes the gothic vampire tale, presenting a narrative that critiques the social constraints and harmful ideas that can be forced down through limiting outside-of-the-home opinions.

The Vourdalak succeeds as a horror film that’s altogether humorous, thoughtful, spine-chilling, and sincere - merging traditional vampire lore with feminist themes, drenched in a delicious gothic aesthetic. The film’s careful balance of humor and horror, combined with its visually evocative style, makes it a standout entry in modern horror offerings. If you’re drawn to films that feel timeless yet timely, with delightful twists that breathe new life into old vampire lore, The Vourdalak is definitely recommended viewing.