Adrien Beau’s The Vourdalak is Bloody, Brilliant, and a Breath of Fresh Air for Vampire Films
DIRECTED BY ADRIEN BEAU/FRENCH/2024 (U.S. Theatrical Release)
The folklore surrounding the vampire is one that dates back centuries and crosses countless different cultures. These nightmarish creatures have haunted the shadows of the night, inspiring bloody tales of horror and the supernatural. Whether it be the iconic Twilight series or Stoker’s Dracula, there has been a historic cult following for vampire films. With The Vourdalak, Adrien Beau makes his own unique contribution to the increasingly expanding genre. Inspired by Aleksey Tolstoy’s novella The Family of the Vourdalak, Beau crafts a refreshing work that pays homage to the cultural roots of the vampire.
Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d’Urfe (Kacey Mottet Klein), an envoy of the King of France, finds himself wandering the Eastern European woods in desperate search for shelter after being robbed by brigands on the road. He is directed to the home of a local man named Gorcha, but is forewarned that the land ahead is one full of danger. Upon his arrival, Jacques Antoine meets the entirety of Gorcha’s family. There is the honorable eldest son, Jegor (Gregoire Colin), who is accompanied by his wife Anja (Claire Duburcq) and their young son Vlad (Gabriel Pavie). Jacque Antonie is also introduced to Gorcha’s other children, Piotr (Vassili Schneider) and Sdenka (Ariane Labed). The family is anxiously awaiting the return of their patriarch, but his arrival is bittersweet. Gone is the man they once knew, as their father has come back to them as something dark and strange: a vourdalak!
Klein is an absolute delight as the bumbling, nerve-wracked royal envoy. With his lavish clothes and elaborate make-up, Jacques Antoine sticks out like a sore-thumb amongst the gloom of his surroundings. His obvious wealthy background clashes dramatically with his host family, a fact that Sdenka gives him grief for on several occasions. He is a fish out of water, and he stumbles through each interaction with a combination of gentlemanly honor and borderline revulsion. It is easy to write Jacques Antoine off as a vapid soul unable to connect with those below his social class. Behind that powdered exterior, however, is a man who reveals a heart full of kindness and a surprising sense of courage.
The real treat of this film is Gorcha, the titular vourdalak himself. Instead of an actor hidden behind make-up and prosthetics, the monster of this film is a marionette operated by Beau. This decision to use a puppet makes the creature feel even more unnatural and grotesque, and is one that I believe to be the saving grace of The Vourdalak. With his skeletal appearance, Gorcha appears more like a creature from Labyrinth than Edward Cullen. Gone entirely is the sexuality and glamour that had become commonplace in the modern vampire genre. Gorcha is a hideous creature that barely attempts to conceal is violent nature, which makes him a more enticing villain.
After years of modern vampire works that revolve around American highschoolers, The Vourdalak offers a much needed breath of life into this genre. With its European setting and Gothic aesthetic, this film harkens back to everything that made this nightmarish monster iconic in the first place. Beau balances the grotesque horror with human tragedy as we watch this family tear apart at the seams. It feels like a love letter to a genre that has long forgotten its roots. Though it is a film not likely to reach a wide audience, The Vourdalak is a delightful film that fully embraces its eccentricities.