Le Vourdalak

If the title sounds familiar, it's probably because you recognize "wurdulak" as the word for the vampire in Mario Bava's Black Sabbath. This is another version of that story by A. K. Tolstoy, and it's a peculiar mix of folk horror and vampire myth. It's slow - Bava told the story in 1/3 the time - but very enjoyable, with a charming performance by. Kacey Mottet Klein as Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d'Urfe, prancing around the Russian forest in his powdered face, beauty spot, wig and stockings. Imagine Barry Lyndon in The Company of Wolves. If you like your vampires on the European weirdness side, give this a watch!

A number of reviews seem to consider the film a dark comedy. While the main character behaves a bit foolishly at times and the vourdalak's looks maybe lack finesse, I didn't see it that way myself, so I thought I'd share my two cents.

From old Russian, Czech, and maybe also Polish scary movies (made roughly some time before the late 80s) that I have seen, the style of the vourdalak's appearance in this film makes me think this was done as an homage.

There's just something about it and the entire film... The closest movie I can think of that this feels similarly creepy to is "Viy", an old Russian movie. (If you've seen that movie and liked it, by the way, then you'll probably like this. If you liked this movie, then you should definitely try to check that one out.)

I might be totally wrong, but this movie felt like it was from another time, maybe also because the creature was real (be it makeup or a puppet, it was a practical effect) and not cgi. (Nothing wrong with digital effects, mind you; I rather love them all.)

The only hint of modernity in this was a jump scare at one point.

Other than that, this movie could have fit right in among the other strange creepy movies in the box set called "All the Haunts Be Ours".

Now this was a movie that I learned about when going to the Gateway Film Center. The trailer caught my attention. When I realized that it was horror, I stopped watching. I got to see this as part of an early screener there. Seeing the title and knowing that this is based on folklore, I had an idea of the story we'd get here.

Synopsis: lost in the hostile forest, the Marquis d'Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), a noble emissary of the King of France, finds refuge in the home of a strange family.

We start this off at night. Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d'Urfé has run into issues. There is a local bandit that attacked him, killing his horse, stealing his luggage and it seems like Jacques is the last one alive. He wandered into the forest to survive and seek refuge. He comes upon a manor where he knocks at the door. The man who answers bars his entry and tells him to seek refuge with another person. A horse would also be provided to continue his journey.

Things don't go as planned. This bandit in the area has hurt others as well. Jacques comes upon a woman and he falls in love with her, Sdenka (Ariane Labed). She ignores him and then Jacques meets Piotr (Vassili Schneider). He is dressed like a Romani person. Piotr takes Jacques to their home. Being that Jacques is nobility of France, he offers a reward for aiding him. Sdenka turns out to be Piotr's sister. Also living here is Anja (Claire Duburcq) and her son Vlad (Gabriel Pavie). She is married to Jegor (Grégoire Colin) who is away. He is the older brother to Piotr and Sdenka. There is the patriarch, Gorcha.

When Jegor comes home, he shows hospitality to their guest. Jacques wants to continue, but they don't have a horse for him. Jegor knows where he can get one. The issue is that he won't be able to until the following day. Jegor becomes upset when he learns that their father, Gorcha, isn't home. He went off to kill the bandit alone. A warning was issued when he left as well. He said that if he isn't home in six days, do not let him in. He would no longer be their father. They're approaching the hour of passing into the sixth day.

It is after that deadline that Gorcha is found. Jegor is mad, thinking that he's been lying there and they just didn't notice him. Jegor ignores the warning, believing it to be superstition. When this older man wakes up, we see there's something not quite right. Everyone but Jegor and Vlad see it. Gorcha makes Jacques uncomfortable. It is through this that we learn this man might have been become a creature known as the vourdalak.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the story. Where I'll start is that this is adapted from the short story 'The Family of the Vourdalak' written by Aleksei K. Tolstoy. I was familiar with this as Mario Bava used it for a segment in Black Sabbath. It also was loosely used for another movie from the 1960s called Viy. Since I was familiar with the concept, I was curious as to how it would be used here.

I'll say here that I'll try not to compare the two too much. Both have similar set ups. This version has tragedy striking Jacques and him needing aid. The basic story from there and how things play out are similar as well. What I like is that Jacques isn't used to having to fend for himself like he does here. The food is different from what he's used to. He is also not used to the country life, being part of the French court. I do like that like 'fish out of water' narrative. He doesn't know the customs and things are strange to him. They're just normal to these people though. I do like exploring that idea. Klein does good as well since we are like him in not knowing the customs or way of life.

I do want to discuss the family and their dynamic, but before doing that let me discuss the darker side of Jacques. Being that he's nobility and the people he's staying with are peasants. He's fallen in love with Sdenka. He comes on to her and she rejects him. We learn that she's bitter due to being in love with an unsavory person who brought her heartache. Jacques tries to woo her and when that fails, we see the toxic masculinity. He demands that she make love to him. What I like there is that she manipulates him, using her looks. I'll say here that Labed is good in her role. She is bitter at life and doesn't have many prospects to get out of her situation.

Let's then discuss the rest of the family. Jegor is the one who takes care of the family. At first, he's away helping other villagers kill this bandit. He doesn't believe in the superstitions which dooms his family. He is married to Anja. I get the idea that she loves him and their son, but life is hard. It is worn on her. The interesting one is Piotr. He dresses like a Romani woman. This draws anger from his brother. Sdenka accepts him for who he is. I thought this was a curious move to include in the story. I'd say that the acting here is good across the board so credit to all of them.

Then the last thing for the story to discuss is Gorcha. We never see him. When we get introduced, he's played by a puppet that looks like a skeleton. I thought that this was an interesting route to go. We know from the start there is something wrong with him. Even before seeing his face, the arms looked weird and how they moved did as well. This is odd, but I do love it. It is interesting to see Gorcha's children interacting with him. Good on them for their performances. I'll also say that co-writer/director Beau voiced this character.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I thought that the cinematography was good. It does well in capturing the area and period is set. I love that Jacques powders his face like he would in the Parisian court, even when he's hanging around this country manor. That feels normal for him. The costumes look real. I'll say again that I love that Gorcha is a puppet. Going practical there works. The rest of the effects were solid. The framing helps to hide the seams. I'd also say that the soundtrack fit what was needed.

In conclusion, I'm glad that I checked this movie out. We are getting a story that I know the basic premise for and doing tweaks with it. This is an arthouse take, but I don't think it goes too far into that to be pretentious. The best part here is the atmosphere. Part of that comes from the era it is set and the isolation of the events. The acting was good. No issues there. I thought that this was well-made. Using a puppet for the monster was interesting. It adds a different touch for sure. The rest of the filmmaking was solid as well. Not one that I can recommend to everyone. This is from France so I watched it with subtitles. If that is an issue, then avoid this. If not, we have a solid folk tale with a familiar creature.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

LE VOURDALAK (The Vourdalak) poses as the debut full lenght feature film of newcommer French director Adrien Beau. I was lucky enough to catch this film on the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. From its very first shot LE VOURDALAK feels like a film made between the late 60s and early 70s somewhere between Central and Eastern Europe. It combines the atmosphere of those regions and times perfectly, managing to transcend the viewer in a wondrous place in the woods, constantly evoking the idea that something evil lurks there.

LE VOURDALAK explores the idea/legend of the vampire with a much more traditional, unique approach in comparison with the many vampire movies that we've been used to in the past years. Drawing his essence from Tolstoy's classic gothic novella, "The Family of the Vourdalak", Adrien Beau crafts a unique take on the vampire legend with samples of practical effects, performative acting, experimental montage and ordinary horror musical elements.

In its core, the film offers a daring, enchanting, tragic horror tale that, at times, is caught between the realisation of its classic background tale and the exaggeration of its daring fresh approach. Meaning that, yes, the story is based on a classic legend, in which Beau paints with his own gothic imagination, that strays from its horrific nature and leans more on the dramatic aspect of a tragic story.

The Vourdalak is a stylish, low-budget French movie from 2023 in which a noble emissary of the King of France seeks refuge in the home of a family living deep in the woods. Soon, they are confronted by an evil that begins to consume both the family and their new guest.

From the cover, it's clear that The Vourdalak is a film about a vampire-like creature. The cover design is unique and eerie, which certainly piqued my interest in watching the movie. It successfully captures the historical time frame, with spectacular costumes and set designs. The film has a mysterious atmosphere steeped in fantasy elements. The acting was strong, and the small cast of characters was engaging. I particularly enjoyed the dark approach, which had a few surprises up its sleeve, especially in the third act, where a memorable scene occurs that lingers long after the credits roll.

Overall, the movie manages to be distinctive enough to provide a memorable experience. However, it never fully immersed me in the story. The pacing felt a bit slow, which is a subjective criticism but hard to overlook. My biggest issue, though, lies with the use of puppets, especially for the antagonist. This creative choice consistently broke my immersion. I found myself distracted, imagining the behind-the-scenes mechanics of the puppetry, such as how the puppeteer might be moving at any given moment. This detracted from the film's ability to build a frightening atmosphere and ultimately prevented me from fully engaging with the story. While this may not bother everyone, it was a significant hurdle for me. I do admire those who didn't experience this issue.

The Vourdalak is a unique film with a sophisticated approach, offering something different from the countless movies Hollywood churns out daily. However, it didn't entirely grip me, which affected my overall experience. Perhaps it might work better on a second watch, but for now, I can't rate the movie any higher. [5.2/10]