Queer Film Theory 101: Daughters of Darkness
"I'm just an outmoded character, nothing more. You know, the beautiful stranger, slightly sad, slightly… mysterious… that haunts one place after another." In the early 1970s, hardboiled crime films were all the rage: CHINATOWN, THE GODFATHER, THE FRENCH CONNECTION dominated the cineplex across the country. But
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simultaneously, there was another genre on the rise: the erotic lesbian vampire film. From THE VAMPIRE LOVERS to SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES to VAMPYRES (which you know is queer because of its unconventional spelling), the era was riddled with attempts to cash in on the new lezzie blood-sucking craze. A standout from the red deluge of immortal sapphic stories was DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS, a French, Belgian, and German collaboration helmed by Harry Kümel. When chaotic newlywed couple Valerie (Danielle Ouimet) and Stefan (John Karlen) arrive at a grand hotel on the Ostend seafront during the off-season, they initially seem to be the only guests in residence. That is, until the glamorous and preternaturally youthful Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory (Delphine Seyrig) arrives with her icy secretary Ilona (Andrea Rau). The Countess quickly becomes fixated on Valerie, and the dubious honeymoon is thrown into bizarre and erotic disarray. Featuring an incredible and funky score by François de Roubaix and stunning decadent garments, DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS is a vibe, and it’s so queeeeer. Decadent, alluring, dreamy, and strange, we can’t wait to watch this gorgeous film with you on the big screen as part of Queer Film Theory 10. Come, glamorous darlings, haunt us with your startling visage.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn — 445 Albee Square W 4th floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201