The Vourdalak

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Jonny S Just finished this on film4 meant to watch it last time it did the rounds but missed the chance. Have to say it was quite an interesting film and not like anything else I’ve seen. From the synopsis I thought it was going to be a more jolly and comic but it was more art house and bleak …. Not a bad thing though. I can however see why it has some very high reviews and also low ones. It lies somewhere between a dark comedy folk horror period piece styled of sorts like an art movie in French. So it definitely won’t be for everyone. I’m not without my criticism, it was quite slow and looks like it was filmed on a camera from the 80s ? But I think it was made like that. There are some tense scenes and some laughable ones. Much like the puppet vourdalek itself. Along with shots of the French guy in pale make up looking bemused LOL. I think the average film or horror viewer may not appreciate the low budget indie vibes/art house stylings. The high brow film critics lapping it up. Personally I thought it pissed all over the nosrefatu remake. So I’d say if you are a movie buff and enjoy art and foreign films in particular you will enjoy. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/25 Full Review Logan D French nobleman Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d’Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), who, after being robbed, seeks refuge with the Gorcha family. When the family patriarch returns, the Marquis encounters a horror that torments the whole family. An atmospheric adaptation of Aleksey Tolstoy’s 1839 novella The Family of the Vourdalak. Shot on 16mm, the graininess enhances the gothic appearance. They use a life size puppet to portray the patriarch. It's at once silly and scary. There is great variety to the characters but I especially loved Ariane Labed as the enigmatic and pensive Sdenka. Recommended! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/22/25 Full Review Oaklee D This movie would be what would happen if Lars Von Trier and Darren Aronofsky had a baby that was a French vampire film. Without spoiling anything I loved it and would recommend it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/30/25 Full Review Claudio C Le Vourdalak / The Vourdalak (2023) A Different and Interesting French Vampire Movie (11,800 – 01 Jul 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) In the Eighteen Century, when the emissary of the King of France, Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d'Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), is traveling through the countryside of France, he is robed and loses his horse and money. He asks for shelter in a peasant house, but he denies and tells him to look for the Gorcha’s house. He proceeds walking through the forest and stumbles upon the peasant Piotr (Vassili Schneider), who brings him home. He is introduced to his beautiful sister Sdenka (Ariane Labed); to his sister-in-law Anja (Claire Duburcq); and the boy Vlad (Gabriel Pavie), who is Anja’s son. His older brother Jegor (Grégoire Colin) also returns after fighting the Turks. When he asks for his father and patriarch of the family, Goicha, his siblings tell him that he left the house to fight the Turks and if he does not return in six days, they should not let him in. After the sixth day, they find the patriarch almost dead on the field and Jegor brings him inside their house. Soon the family discovers what happened to him. “Le Vourdalak”, a.k.a. “The Vourdalak” (2023), is a different and interesting French vampire movie by Adrien Beau. The plot has a nice romance between the noble Jacques and the gorgeous peasant Sdenka. The situation of the family trapped by the older brother and the patriarch is sad, and their fate is pessimist. The good point is the fate of Sdenka, described in the ending of the story. My vote is seven Title (Brazil): “Os Vourdalak” (“The Vourdalak”) My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/02/25 Full Review Tom L Excellent and original take on the vampire story. Unless your idea of a good horror movie is the Bride of Chuckie or, even worse, In A Violent Nature, don’t pay attention to the negative audience reviews. There are definitely some homages to Hammer here, but this film is much more than a simple tribute. The dynamic of peasant versus nobility is a strong theme, as well as old world values in opposition to modern ones. In the end, blind loyalty to family and servitude to polite etiquette is the undoing of the characters. The film makers did a lot with a little, which in my opinion often makes some of the best movies. The story this was based on was also adapted in the film Black Sabbath with Boris Karloff as the monstrous family patriarch, which makes for an interesting comparison. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/11/25 Full Review Stephen D Variant on the vampire theme set in Eastern Europe in the 18 th century. A French courtier falls in with a strange peasant family. Another reviewers reference to a 'Hammer horror' sums it up but without the 'entertainment quality'. A low budget stylish French film which struggles to engage throughout. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 04/29/25 Full Review Read all reviews

The Vourdalak

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