The Countess

The Countess is set in the Kingdom of Hungary during the 17th century and centres on Erzsébet Báthory, a widow who takes control of a large estate and a substantial fortune. One of the most powerful women in the country, she inspires admiration, fear and resentment in equal measure. When she falls for István Thurzó, a man considerably younger than herself, he ends the affair, and she comes to believe she was abandoned because of the age difference. Consumed by longing and disappointment, she convinces herself that the blood of young women will restore and preserve her youth and beauty, and her behaviour grows increasingly extreme.

Julie Delpy directed, wrote the screenplay and stars as Báthory, working from the historical figure's life rather than any single account. The film was released in 2009 and falls second in her directing career, between 2 Days in Paris (2007) and 2 Days in New York (2012). Daniel Brühl plays István, with William Hurt as György Thurzó, Anamaria Marinca as Darvulia, Maria Simon as Helena and Sebastian Blomberg as Dominic Vizakna, among a credited cast of 49. It was produced by Matthew E. Chausse, Andro Steinborn and Christopher Tuffin across German, American and French companies on a budget of 9 million USD.

Audience response has been moderate: on IMDb the film holds 6.2/10 from around 9,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.9/10 from 191 votes. A film critics' rating of 3.8/10 from 201 reviews sits well below both audience figures, indicating a marked gap between professional and viewer assessments.