So you thought Botox was the end-all wrinkle solution: Not! Just ask Countess Bathory.
The Countess ( Julie Delpy) is a 16th century noblewoman of central Europe who seems to have found the fountain of youth. When her husband dies, she meets a young man by the name of Istvan Thurzo (Daniel Bruel) at a dance and becomes infatuated with him. The two develop a love affair, but then Istvan’s scheming father Count Thurzo (William Hurt) sends him away to be married abroad. The Countess, who feels that Istvan has left for a younger woman, develops a fetish for moisturizing her face in blood after she imagines that a blood splatter that had landed on her face during the beating of a servant appeared to have removed her wrinkles. The fetish soon becomes an obsession and the Countess begins the blood drive of all blood drives. She develops a gadget which blood-lets her victims; but the real problem transpires when dead bodies of young virgin girls (they must be virgins for the blood to work) are found all around the castle and the King finds out.
Count Thurzo is trying to drive the Countess nuts (and he really doesn’t need much help), because he wants her estate. He makes sure that the King becomes aware of the dead girl conundrum, which is quite advantageous for him also. The King owes the Countess a good sum of money that he does not want to pay, so locking her up as a madwoman is a convenient out.
The story would be considered unbelievable, if it wasn’t based on an actual historical accounting of the real Countess Bathory of Hungary.
Botox anyone?
My rating: 3 of 5 blood baths