If you watched The Vourdalak with no background information, you might think you’d discovered a lost made-for-TV gem from 1980-something. With its grainy appearance, humble sets, and Jim-Henson-esque puppet villain, how could this dark yet charming vampire fantasy not be from the same decade that brought us The Dark Crystal (1982), Legend (1985), The NeverEnding Story (1984), and Labyrinth (1986)? Despite its distinctly late-20th-century look and feel, The Vourdalak is actually a product of 2023. In this fresh and imaginative vampire tale, first-time feature director Adrien Beau goes all in with a vintage visual style to create a seductive and haunting story that feels authentic and original.
L-R: Kacey Mottet Klein as the Marquis d’Urfé and Ariane Labed as Sdenka in THE VOURDALAK. Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The Vourdalak is based on a novella, La Famille du Vourdalak, written by Aleksei Tolstoy (not to be confused with Leo Tolstoy) in 1839, 58 years before Bram Stoker published Dracula. Although this particular vampire story hasn’t saturated pop culture quite the same way as Stoker’s book, it has been adapted for the screen twice in the past with Black Sabbath (1963) and The Night of the Devils (1972). For his take on the tale, Beau collaborated with Hadrien Bouvier (Les condiments irréguliers) to adapt Tolstoy’s novella into a screenplay with a simple but effective story. Much like Dracula, The Vourdalak begins with a foreigner traveling in Eastern Europe who becomes a guest in the home of a vampire. In this tale, the traveler in question is the Marquis d’Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), an envoy of the King of France. After being attacked and robbed, the Marquis is advised by a villager to seek refuge in the house of a man named Gorcha (voiced by Adrien Beau). When the Marquis finds said house, he is met by a strange and eccentric family. Gorcha’s eldest daughter, Sdenka (Ariane Labed), informs the Marquis that her father departed on a journey several days ago, leaving his children with a haunting farewell: “My children … wait six days. If ever, and may God preserve you, I return after those six days, I order you to forget that I was your father and refuse me entry. For I shall be an accursed Vourdalak.” That very night at dinner, exactly six days after his departure, Gorcha returns home.
L-R: The vampire and Gabriel Pavie as Vlad in THE VOURDALAK. Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The Vourdalak settles effortlessly into gothic conventions with frightening omens, shadowy dream sequences, supernatural mischief, macabre eroticism, and a frustratingly flawed hero. Thankfully, these juicy literary themes are integrated so naturally into the source material that Beau doesn’t have to overwork the story to make them fit. While Beau and Bouvier don’t follow Tolstoy’s novella exactly, they also don’t try to modernize the story with corny gimmicks. They embrace it as a folktale and a legend, letting the inherent symbolism and universal truths shine through without forcing anything extra into the story. As a result, The Vourdalak feels genuine and authentic, naturally and effortlessly embodying the enchantment and wonder of folktales, legends, and myths.
Like in most folktales, the characters in The Vourdalak can be neatly categorized into literary archetypes, and they represent qualities and themes more than actual people. They are nonetheless a captivating cast of characters, enriching and enhancing the gothic themes. The Marquis isn’t exactly your storybook knight in shining armor; he’s more of an anti-hero with a lot to learn. He’s spoiled and whiny, and his behavior toward Sdenka is gross. Yet, this is his story, told strictly from his point of view. While this unlikable hero can make for an uncomfortable viewing experience, he also makes The Vourdalak feel more authentic. Rather than refining the protagonist into a more palatable character, Beau and Bouvier wrote a character who just downright sucks (no pun intended; the Marquis isn’t the one sucking blood). The story doesn’t glorify or excuse the Marquis’s behavior, but it does give him the chance to learn a lesson or two.
Ariane Labed as Sdenka in THE VOURDALAK. Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.
What really makes The Vourdalak feel so authentic is its distinctly outdated cinematographic and technical style. The fuzzy, grainy, and “low-budget” look of the film makes it all the more enchanting, reminding viewers (millennial viewers, especially) of beloved fantasy films from the 1980s. The name The Vourdalak even sounds like a low-budget movie from several decades ago. The sound mixing isn’t quite as refined as that of a big-budget fantasy movie made in 2024. The ambient noises and sound effects are just “off” enough to where you can tell that they were recorded off-set, something most sound mixers today would hide. And yet, the unrefined soundscape fits the film’s visual style perfectly, adding a layer of humility and authenticity. Then, there’s the puppet, which looks like a combination of Voldemort, Jack Skellington, and Nosferatu. It’s nothing too elaborate, but it’s much more effective than a computer-generated monster or an actor in makeup. As an inanimate object brought to life, it seems haunted or possessed – an effect that doesn’t come as naturally with CGI. Adrien Beau himself provides the voice of the vampire, completing the creepy illusion with a dark, gravelly, and spine-chilling tone.
Whether the film’s style was a conscious choice by Beau or a budgetary necessity, it certainly works in his favor. The vintage look sets the story apart as a myth and folktale, elevating it with shadowy enchantment. It’s difficult to imagine this story working as well as it does without its unrefined cinematographic and technical style. The glossy sheen of modern digital cameras and CGI effects would probably have cheapened this humble story and robbed it of its unique charm. The fuzzy and outdated look of the film reminds us that what we’re seeing isn’t real, and it isn’t supposed to be real. It sets the story apart as something happening in an enchanting and fantastical place rather than a decorated version of the real world. It also serves as a reminder of the imagination and artistry that goes into filmmaking, drawing attention to The Vourdalak’s place in the history of film, horror, and the vampire genre.
L-R: Gabriel Pavie as Vlad, Claire Duburcq as Anja, Kacey Mottet Klein as the Marquis d’Urfé, Ariane Labed as Sdenka, and Vassili Schneider as Piotr in THE VOURDALAK. Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The vampire genre has been done and overdone so much that it’s almost become a joke, but Beau has turned over a new leaf with The Vourdalak. Although it’s aware of its place in history and makes creative references to other vampire films, The Vourdalak feels fresh and original. Defined by its authenticity, enchantment, and macabre seduction, this film may be one of the best vampire movies of the last two decades.
In theaters June 28th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Oscilloscope Laboratories The Vourdalak website.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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