Leptirica

Yes! There were quite a few 'not so smart' people at TV Serbia back in 80's because they showed this film at 19:00 or even worse around 10:00 so all the children (i.e. Me) could see it and think its drama for kids...What a misconception!!!

This is vampire-horror masterpiece! Unfortunetally its TV movie made with TV camera so you never have impression of a real movie...But that kind of work has many achievements because you simply don't expect that kind of HORROR in that form of film-making!

Makeup is brilliant!!! Acting is beutyfull - all professional, academic actors - which is not the case with 99.99% of horror movies! Story it pretty simple but it all revolves in 19th century Serbia so it has sweetest plot I'we ever seen in a Horror!

I recommend it with greatest pleasure!

I have watched this movie after finding out about it online. I didn't expect to watch overwhelming special effects or perfect film making. Keep in mind this was filmed in the '70s in Yugoslavia, and for TV. To make things worse, the recording I watched wasn't of extremely high quality (maybe a rip from a very old home recorded VHS).

The movie is seriously scary, but with some comedic relief which might be considered annoying if you don't expect to see them. Plot turns and surprises are well thought of in most instances. There is no attempt to "explain" the plot to the audience , as commonly happens with more modern western movies. I find this to be a nice thing, but some may find it a problem. The vampire the movie tells about is not a typical vampire from western movies, but maybe the retelling or older and more original Slavic legends.

The actress playing the protagonist's love interest was a treat. Beautiful and convincing, hard to believe she did not appear in famous movies. Effects rudimentary, but kind of convincing. Scares real. True that the vampire appears in three scenes: that's enough however. Those appearances are sudden, and only in one case can be expected.

Definitely advise for horror fans (with the caveat you are not watching Hollywood).

I saw this as a child and I remember that I was so scared that I couldn´t sleep for days. So, like twenty years later, here I am, watching it for the second time. The feeling, of course is not the same, ´cause through the years I became very big fan and some kind of an expert for horror cinema. But still... This is probably the first real horror made in Yugoslavia and it´s still the best. Dark atmosphere accomplished here is very unique and it really gives you the creeps. When I think of the comparison, the only movie that comes to my mind is BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (same atmosphere, dark woods, witches, etc.) and trust me when I say that Myrick & Sanchez flick is not at all superior. The only thing that annoyed me are the "comic elements". I really felt that they are not necessary (it is similar problem with all Yugoslavian suspense movies, such as: Variola Vera, The Strangler vs Strangler, Deja-Vu and more recently T.T.Syndhrome). But the last half an hour of the movie is so brilliant that we can forgive the director Kadijevic for that mistake.

"Leptirica" is a Yugoslavian female vampire horror film from the early 70s shot in the Serbian countryside and based on a novel.The incredibly eerie beginning takes place in a mill.The old miller listens strange bird voices and while he's sleeping the millstone suddenly stops working and a strange creature with black hands,long nails,angry eyes and long teeth bites his neck and drinks his blood.Soon the area of a small Yugoslavian village and the dark woods are plagued with the attacks of a truly hideous vampire creature...This is my first Yugoslavian horror film and I'm highly impressed.It features some of the creepiest vampire attack scenes ever captured on screen.It's also based on Serbian folklore,unfortunately my DVD-R don't have English subtitles,so 90% of the plot went beyond me.Still if you want to see truly scary horror film try to find "Leptirica".9 out of 10.

Wonderful, I've seen this movie ONCE when I was a kid and since then it's burned in my mind as of the most scary films I've ever seen. And I've seen A LOT of horror. Hm, I think I will try to find this film again, I'm pretty curious about how I would feel now while watching it. It certainly did contribute to my love for the horror-genre, and vampire figures in films, in general. This particular vampire , leptirica, is very old in Slavic folklore. The female vampire shapeshifter, upir, can even be considered as a metaphor for many things. Feminine mystery or sexuality is one of them.Interesting !