The Vourdalak
Director: Adrien Beau Run Time: 91 min. Release Year: 2023 Language: French
Starring: Ariane Labed, Claire Duburcq, Grégoire Colin, Kacey Mottet Klein, Vassili Schneider
When the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge at an eerie, isolated manor. The resident family, reluctant to take him in, exhibits strange behavior as they await the imminent return of their father, Gorcha. But what begins simply as strange quickly devolves into a full-fledged nightmare when Gorcha returns, seemingly no longer himself…. Adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over half a century, The Vourdalak is an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that will leave you reeling and giddy in equal measure.
“Everything about the film manages to be forward-thinking and old-school at the same time, giving the genre a bite in the neck it might not have wanted but certainly needed.” ~ Michael Nordine, Variety