Trailer Park: The Vourdalak

If you can’t get enough of gorgeous gothic horror, dark fairytales, and vampires, you won’t want to miss the upcoming film “The Vourdalak”.

Today, Oscilloscope Laboratories announced it has picked up the U.S. distribution rights to Adrien Beau’s The Vourdalak, an acclaimed 18th-century vampire tale adapted from a novella that predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by over half a century.

Described as an atmospheric, unexpected, sensorial experience that promises to leave viewers reeling and giddy in equal measure, the film’s plot synopsis is as follows:

When the Marquis d’Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is attacked and abandoned in the remote countryside, he finds refuge in 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.

The Vourdalak is based on the 1839 novella The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy.

The novella first appeared on the screen in 1963, when it became the basis for one of the segments (“I Wurdulak”) in Mario Bava’s excellent anthology film Black Sabbath. The 1972 Italian/Spanish film The Night of the Devils is also based on Tolstoy’s story.

The Vourdalak World Premiered in the International Critics’ Week section at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Reviews out of Venice for the film were glowing, with screendaily.com (Screen International) describing it as “enticingly treacly, oozing cult potential,” and moviescramble.co.uk calling it a “truly stunning work of art.”

After Venice, the film went on to play dozens of European fests and opening in its native France. Prior to opening in U.S. theaters at the end of this month, the much-buzzed-about film will screen at the Chattanooga Film Festival.

The programmers at Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) never disappoint, and they describe The Vourdalak as a “devilishly well-made gothic horror fantasy” that  gives “classic Hammer Horror vibes in the best ways possible.” They went on to add:

“It’s elegant and strange; it’s positively dripping with atmosphere, gorgeously shot on Super 16, and gift-wrapped with our humble recommendation to our long-time fans that you make catching it while you’re with us a priority.”

I don’t know about you, but that all sounds too deliciously enticing to pass up.