Daughters of Darkness, 1971

Number 7. You know the drill. Let’s start with a brief history lesson. Here is Sara Century from Bitch Media:

“Actually, the predominant image of queer women in horror much of the 20th century was the lesbian vampire. There are a great deal more lesbian vampire movies than pretty much any other kind of queer movie. Calling these films “queer” is, of course, dicey territory, considering the fact that they were almost exclusively created by straight people with straight audiences in mind, but the story has appeared again and again.”

I can safely say that I am already sick of the lesbian vampire, and it’s only been two films. Daughters of Darkness was not my jam. It reminded me a very corny, vampire-themed Carol with none of the artistry, emotion, or nuance. Here is more about the film from Alex Davidson of BFI:

“Another European slice of lesbian vampirism, this time influenced by a real-life monster – Elizabeth Báthory, the Hungarian countess who allegedly slaughtered hundreds of young women and bathed in their blood to retain her youth. Belgian director Harry Kümel sets his dark tale in Ostend, transforming an off-peak holiday destination into a landscape of perpetual menace. In this modern setting, a mysterious countess, with female sexual companion in tow, becomes obsessed by a couple of newlyweds, with gruesome results.”

If you really like the lesbian vampire subgenre, you’ll probably enjoy this oddball, but otherwise, I’d skip this one.