Der Vampir auf der Couch

THERAPY FOR A VAMPIRE is an Austrian vampire comedy that involves two vampires, two humans & Sigmund Freud in a kind of slapstick love-quadrilateral. The jokes were a bit corny (vampire to Freud: "I no longer have a thirst for life") & I wish the film had actually focused on the THERAPY part, rather than the silliness of vampires falling in love (or lust) with humans. Why even get Freud involved if psychoanalysis isn't going to play a central plot point? The costuming & ambience were nice to look at, although the lighting was a little soap opera-esque (was that on purpose?). Meh.

Quite enjoyable! A fun, light spirited vampire comedy.

Comedy Gold in any language! I loved it. I have a passing familiarity with German, so I was mostly reliant on the subtitles for context and the actors for subtext. That sort of works out well anyway, because that's usually the way it goes with most films and in real life, too.

If Woody Allen had tackled the classic vampire theme, just past his prime, it might have played out something like this. The script has some sharp dialog and witty word play which is done justice by some good actors who know how to have fun with their lines while still playing it straight for the most part. The film wisely chooses to keep broad comedy at a minimum while loading on the 1930s atmosphere. Not a classic but quite enjoyable for what it is. If you liked Love At First Bite you should find this entertaining.

Dr. Sigmund Freud (Karl Fischer) has many interesting patients, but perhaps none are so enthralling as Count Geza von Kozsnom (Tobias Moretti), who has become tired of life and full of angst. His wife, the Countess (Jeanette Hain) is vain and blood- thirsty, and his home is empty and gloomy. Freud is also spending time with artist Viktor (Dominic Oley), who is painting the dream images of Freud's patients, to the disgust of his girlfriend Lucy (Cornelia Ivancan). When the Count complains that his wife is nagging him to describe how she looks because she cannot see herself, Freud suggests that she employ Viktor to obtain a portrait of herself. It seems like a good idea at first, but then the Count sees Lucy, who it turns out is the spitting image of the long-lost love of his life.... This is a really funny gem of a film, full of witty word-play (the Count complains that he has no talent for "self-reflection," for example) and hilarious sight-gags. Director David Ruhm uses the supernatural traits of vampires with an almost off-hand ease, and perhaps invents some of his own (I never knew vampires had a counting compulsion!), and it's clear from the performances that the actors were having a wonderful time playing up and against the old vampire tropes. Terrific fun all around!