Isabelle Huppert to Star in Ulrike Ottinger's Vampire Movie The Blood Countess.

      A collaboration between an auteur and an actor that nearly rivals last week’s pairing of Johnnie To and Tony Leung comes from Variety, reporting that Ulrike Ottinger will be directing Isabelle Huppert in The Blood Countess, a vampire film inspired by the notorious Elizabeth Báthory, featuring a script co-written by Ottinger and Elfriede Jelinek (The Piano Teacher). Co-starring are Lars Eidinger (Irma Vep), Thomas Schubert (Afire), and Birgit Minichmayr (Everyone Else); sales will commence soon at the European Film Market.

      The Blood Countess is characterized as an “immersive and delightfully eccentric vampire mystery” that presents itself as “a highly visual, narrative scavenger hunt.” Here is the official synopsis from sales agent Magnify:

      “[Madame Báthory] and her devoted maid (Birgit Minichmayr) set off on a baroque journey through Vienna to find the red elixir of life. If the book is discovered and read by the vampire’s foes, it poses a threat to their vampire territory. Pursuing them are a vegetarian nephew (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector, and various other vibrant characters in this twisted and humorous vampire narrative.”

      For those unfamiliar with Ottinger’s work, it’s recommended to explore films like Ticket of No Return or Madame X, which Richard Linklater (in a now-vanished Criterion Channel video) praised above contemporaries of the New German Cinema movement like Herzog and Fassbinder. While her reputation has been more about cult interest than achieving the celebrity or cult status of others, there is hope and anticipation that the completion and premiere of Blood Countess will mark a significant moment in her illustrious career.