Daughters of Darkness (4 Stars)

Harry Kümel's "Daughters of Darkness" (1971) remains one of the most distinctive vampire films ever made. Loosely inspired by the legend of Countess Bathory, the film follows newlyweds Stefan and Valerie as they arrive at a nearly deserted Belgian seaside hotel and fall under the spell of the enigmatic Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her companion Ilona. What begins as a gothic horror story gradually transforms into something stranger; a dreamlike exploration of sexuality, power, manipulation and identity.

What makes "Daughters of Darkness" a cult film is the way it refuses to behave like a conventional horror movie. Rather than relying on shocks or explicit violence, Kümel creates an atmosphere of elegance and unease. The film combines art-house sensibilities with erotic horror, wrapping its vampire mythology in stylish cinematography, surreal imagery and an unforgettable score. Over the decades, its reputation has steadily grown from obscure Euro-horror curiosity to acknowledged genre classic.

The film's greatest asset is the mesmerising performance of Delphine Seyrig as the immortal Countess. Seyrig dominates every scene, projecting glamour, intelligence and menace in equal measure. Her Countess is less a monster than a force of seduction, making the film feel closer to a decadent European fairy tale than a traditional vampire story.

Andrea Rau from Münchingen

The importance of Andrea Rau cannot be overstated. At the time, Rau was a young German actress and model who'd appeared in a number of light European productions but hadn't yet found the role that would define her screen image. As Ilona, the Countess's beautiful and increasingly jealous companion, she became one of the film's most memorable visual presences. Director Harry Kümel deliberately styled Rau after silent-screen icon Louise Brooks, giving her a distinctive look that contributed enormously to the film's dreamlike atmosphere. Although Rau continued acting afterwards, "Daughters of Darkness" remains the performance for which she's best remembered and is generally regarded as the high point of her international career.

More than fifty years later, "Daughters of Darkness" still feels unique. It's sensual without being exploitative, intelligent without becoming inaccessible and beautiful without sacrificing its dark heart. Few vampire films have matched its combination of sophistication and erotic menace, which is why it continues to attract new admirers and remains a cornerstone of cult cinema.

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The Furious (5 Stars)

Today I saw the German premiere of "The Furious". My short spoiler-free review can hardly do it justice. The film is amazing. In trailers it's been compared with "The Raid" (I assume they really mean "The Raid 2"). To me that sounded like typical promotional hype, but within a few minutes I had to admit that the comparison is valid.

The film follows two men who join forces to fight a people trafficking gang. One is Wang Wei, a man whose daughter has been kidnapped. The other is Navin, the husband of a reporter who disappeared while investigating the gang.

That's all I'm telling you. Now sit back and enjoy the action.

Passenger (2 Stars)

This is a stylish but confusing film. At least, it's confusing if you try to explain it.

A young couple give up their apartment in Brooklyn and drive westwards in their mobile home. They refer to their journey as a road trip, but I don't think that this description applies. When you go on a road trip you intend to return home, don't you? Tyler and Maddie have dropped out. They haven't just given up their permanent place of residence, they've also given up their jobs, if they ever had jobs. Do they have a sizable inheritance they can rely on?

The couple attract the attention of a supernatural creature that stalks them. He's called a Passenger. He's always with them, but he's only active at night. He doesn't kill them, he just travels with them so he can kill people around them.

What's the Passenger's motivation? That's the smallest question. There are infeasible elements that are more difficult to understand. The Passenger's weakness is St. Christopher's amulets. They burn him. That's sort of logical in the context of the film; St. Christopher is the patron saint of travellers. Does that mean that the Passenger is someone who adheres to the old religious myths and superstitions? That's confusing, and it makes no sense.

Borderlands (3 Stars)

I missed this film in the cinema. I was interested in seeing it, but I had personal commitments that kept me away. It happens.

It was obvious from the beginning that the film is trash. Doesn't the film poster that I've included above scream trash at you? But who cares? If it's a good story I can accept any amount of trash. Besides, it's directed by Eli Roth, whose films are always worth watching, trash or not.

The film follows a bounty hunter called Lilith (played by Cate Blanchett) who's sent to the planet Pandora to find the daughter of a wealthy businessman. This planet also contains the Vault of an extinct race. There are different opinions what the Vault contains, from powerful weapons to enormous gems, but everyone wants it. Lilith has no interest in the Vault until she hears of an ancient prophecy that one day a young girl will come who's destined to open the Vault. Tina, the businessman's daughter, is convinced that she's the girl.

The film is beautiful in its chaotic scenery. The characters all clash with one another. I personally found the tiny robot Claptrap annoying. I quite enjoyed the film, but I can't imagine myself wanting to watch it again.

Success Rate:  - 3.3

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Heroes Two (5 Stars)

"Heroes Two" is one of the key films in director Chang Cheh's Shaolin cycle for the Shaw Brothers studio. On the surface it's a straightforward kung fu adventure, but it's built around Chinese folk legends connected to the fall of the Ming Dynasty and resistance against the Qing rulers.

The film opens after the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. Qing government forces, often referred to in the film as Manchus, have burned the temple and massacred most of its defenders. One of the few survivors is the famous martial artist Hung Hsi Kuan, who escapes and becomes part of an underground resistance movement.

The Qing authorities desperately want to capture Hung because he's become a symbol of resistance. General Che Kang, a ruthless Qing commander and skilled fighter, organises a manhunt.

Meanwhile, another Shaolin fighter, Fong Sai Yuk, wanders through the countryside. Fong is immensely talented but impulsive and naïve. Che Kang quickly realises that Fong doesn't know the full political situation and tricks him into believing that Hung is merely a dangerous criminal.

The deception works. Fong tracks down Hung and, after a fierce fight, helps the Qing forces capture him. Word soon spreads through the resistance movement that Fong has betrayed a Shaolin hero. The rebels confront him and reveal the truth: Hung is actually fighting against Qing oppression and the people Fong has been helping are the real villains.

Horrified by what he's done, Fong decides to rescue Hung. His first attempts fail because General Che Kang is an accomplished martial artist himself. Eventually Fong joins forces with the resistance fighters, who devise a plan to tunnel into the prison where Hung is being held.

The film is based on a famous body of Chinese folklore surrounding the alleged destruction of a southern Shaolin Temple during the early Qing Dynasty. According to legend, the Manchu rulers feared that Shaolin monks and Ming loyalists were plotting rebellion. The temple was supposedly attacked and burned, with only a handful of masters escaping. These survivors then spread martial arts throughout southern China and founded many famous kung fu styles.

Fong Sai Yuk and Hung Hsi Kuan are both major figures in southern Chinese martial arts mythology and appear in countless novels, operas and films. Later audiences may know Fong Sai-yuk best from "Fong Sai Yuk", in which he was played by Jet Li.

Martyrs (1 Star)

Recently two of my friends have called "Martyrs" one of the best films they've ever seen. That made me sit up and pay attention. I had to see it.

Two girls, Lucie and Anna, escape from an orphanage where they're being tortured. 15 years later they find two of the people who tortured them, and Lucie slaughters the whole family. Lucie then kills herself. Anna searches the house and finds another women in the cellar who's being tortured. The woman kills herself. Anna is captured and is tortured even more than before.

There's an explanation for the torture which is given late in the film. It didn't satisfy me. The only memory I have after watching the film is women being tortured. It's ugly. How can anyone possibly like a film like this? It's horrible.

The film does seem to have something of a cult following. It was even remade in English. I honestly don't understand why.

Success Rate:  - 2.5

Deus Irae (3 Stars)

I have an aversion to films about demon possession. For a film in this genre to win me over, it has to offer something special. That isn't the case with "Deus Irae". It has a slightly unique take on possession. The film claims that demons are born into human vessels. The film follows two priests and a sister (a nun?) who work together to find and exorcise demons. They're fighting a losing battle. There are always more demons.

The film's imagery is overwhelming. The problem is that it's difficult to follow the plot. I could never be sure what was happening, and the film seemed incomplete.

The film's director Pedro Cristiani and the producer Marcela Cardenas-Alvarez came all the way from Argentina to present the film. They spoke about the financing difficulties that led to the film needing seven years for completion. They spoke about opposition to the film because it's blasphemous. They've done a good job, but I'm sorry, it's just not my sort of film.