The Blood Countess Returns — Ulrike Ottinger's Vienna Vampire Film

Isabelle Huppert spielt eine wiedererwachte Vampirin im heutigen Wien, die auf der Suche nach einem geheimnisvollen Text eine Spur der Verwüstung hinterlässt – stilvoll, kühl und mit viel Ironie. Credit: Petro Domenigg / FILMSTILLS.AT K/© Neos Film/W&B Film/Epo-Film /

Director Ulrike Ottinger returns to the Berlinale with “Die Blutgräfin.” Isabelle Huppert plays the legendary Elisabeth Báthory, who reappears in today's Vienna. The result is an opulent vampire film between myth, story and fantasy — full of excess, grotesque humor and artistic images. The dialogues are by Elfriede Jelinek, among others, and Lars Eidinger is also part of the ensemble.

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Published 3 June 2026 7:16pm

By Benjamin Kanthak

Presented by Benjamin Kanthak

Source: SBS

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Director Ulrike Ottinger returns to the Berlinale with “Die Blutgräfin.” Isabelle Huppert plays the legendary Elisabeth Báthory, who reappears in today's Vienna. The result is an opulent vampire film between myth, story and fantasy — full of excess, grotesque humor and artistic images. The dialogues are by Elfriede Jelinek, among others, and Lars Eidinger is also part of the ensemble.

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Ulrike Ottinger is one of the defining voices of New German Cinema. Since the 1970s, the director and visual artist has been creating unconventional, visually opulent works between queer cinema, imagination and experiment. With “Die Blutgräfin”, she impressively returns to feature films after decades of documentary filmmaking. Credit: Supplied / Sydney Film Festival