This movie was a very pleasant surprise.
A young bride and groom honeymoon in an elegant, deserted hotel in Flanders. Deserted, that is, until the mysterious Countess Bathory and her sexy, submissive secretary check in to the suite next door. (Bathory---why does that name sound familiar?)
Though there's a little gore (a nasty death by straight razor) and a lot of sex (the movie even starts out with a bumpy coupling in a train compartment), this is an art film rather than an exploitation film, so the emphasis is on atmosphere and suspense. Most of the latter is actually supplied by a subplot concerning the groom. There's something a little... off... about him, and the most unsettling scene in the movie doesn't involve vampires at all, but occurs when he finally makes a call to mother to relate the news of his marriage. That scene would have been perfectly comfortable in a David Lynch movie. The main criticism is that it's slow to get started, but the final reel is filled with memorable images and impossible shocks.
Recommended. 4 out of 5 slimes. LESSON LEARNED: Though sex in the shower with a vampire sounds like a harmless romp, it can lead to unintended consequences.
