The Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin) Review

Isabelle Huppert is a melodramatic marvel in The Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin), Ulrike Ottinger’s campy, uneven vampiric treat.

Huppert is the titular Blood Countess—more specifically named Erzsébet Báthory. She is a legend in the vampire world, feared as much as she is revered. We first witness Huppert’s character at the front of a blood-red canal boat that is drifting through the underwater canals of modern day Vienna. It’s the first glimpse into two of The Blood Countess’ best qualities: the production design by Christina Schaffer (The Secret Floor) and costume work by Jorge Jara (The German Sisters). Everything is lavish and stylish, and rather than coating everything in shadowy darkness that other vampire films classically have, Schaffer and Jara bring boundless colour to proceedings. 

The Blood Countess is a largely preposterous film, but it completely recognises this, and even relishes in it. After Erzsébet returns following decades of absence, she reunites with her devoted underling, The Maid / Hermine (Birgit Minichmayr, The White Ribbon, who is Huppert’s equal in every scene they share). The duo must track down a book that has the power to destroy all vampires. Along the way, an ensemble of madcap characters pop up, each with unique and silly names. There is The Nephew / Baron Rudi Bubi von Strudl zur Buchtelau (Thomas Schubert, Afire), The Therapist / Theobald Tandem (Lars Eidinger, Dying), Theobastus Bombastus (André Jung, Rusty Boys), and Nepomuk Afterbite (Marco Lorenzini, Gutland). If these names put you off, you’d be best to avoid The Blood Countess.

It’s a topsy-turvy affair that, despite having a very strong opening and suitably entertaining conclusion, never quite reaches its full potential. A large reason for that is because of a lot of bloat floating around in the film’s middle section, which combined with the relentless quirkiness begins to give proceedings a tired feeling. After a time, the thinness of the plot becomes apparent, almost like it was an afterthought for Ottinger. For all its wackiness, The Blood Countess starts to feel monotonous, before righting itself for its finale. The comedic aspects are similarly mixed; some parts are funny, others are woefully cringey. 

Yet for all its flaws, The Blood Countess is strangely alluring. There is something irresistible about how committed to its zaniness it is, and something equally intriguing as to how bizarre everything on show is. The cast all seem to be both on the same wavelength and in a world of their own, but it is Huppert at the centre who holds everything together with her melodramatic mannerisms and expressive voice. She is the heartbeat of this weird film, one which has a lot of flaws but also great style and silliness—plus some truly awful CGI bats.

The Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin) premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 16-21, 2026. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews and our list of 20 films to watch at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival!