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This post was inspired by a 1963 Italian Gothic movie called The Blancheville Horror. It's pretty much stock Gothic romance; a young girl is called home to a spooky mansion because her father has allegedly died. Her older brother is creepy, a little handsome, just plain weird. She has a fiance, people who try to save her, but she is destined to die for the family honor. I won't give the ending away, but this was the feature film on Midnight Mausoleum, a local horror show that does its own films, too, hosted by Marlena Midnight. Check them out.
Anyway, the sinister woman in the film has her hair styled like portraits of Erzebet; her hair, black is wound around her head. She is part Dracula bride, part Erzebet, part Mrs. Danvers of Rebecca. The film is loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, including "The Fall of the House of Usher". Really loosely based, but it got me thinking.
Most of the vampirism and silliness associated with Erzebet is what Ingrid Pitt herself, who played Erzebet in Countess Dracula, called "rubbish!" Still, our Countess has captured the imagination of many artists, including myself. I just finished the second volume of The Bathory Chronicles, The Doll Museum, and am working on the third and final volume. I've written three poems about her, created a shadow box in her honor called The Vampyre Doll Collector, written one short story about her, and one picture book for children. I've made one a mixed media collage of her where she holds a real glass, wears a blue satin dress and has long, black hair. I was 14, and she was the topic of a health report I did. I got an A+. I needed it in those day. Health was combined with gym. Later, I was on the gymnastics team, and earned a presidential physical fitness award, but that was after my Erzebet report.
Since the late Prof. McNally got it all wrong in Dracula was a Woman, the myths about Erzebet have only exploded.
I have a doll representing her, and there are many others, some pictured here in this blog. Below is a list of films I found on The Internet, some silly, some artistic.
I hope you enjoy reading them.
1. The Brothers Grimm (2005) where Erzebet appears as The Mirror Queen, aka, the evil queen in Snow White.
2. Immoral Tales (1973) French. Very gory and erotic with lots of blood. I don't get what is sexy about blood. The sight of other people's in gory movies doesn't upset me much. The sight of mine does.
3. Thirst (1979) Australia. A descendant of Erzebet must drink blood to satisfy a cult that has kidnapped her. More or less. Blood drinking is not usually associated with Erzebet to my knowledge.
4. Hostel II (2007)
5. Stay Alive (2006). Erzebet plays a virtual villain in connection with a video game.
6. Chastity Bites (2013)
7. Daughters of Darkness (1971)
8. Countess Dracula (1971) with Ingrid Pitt.
9. The Countess (2009)
10. Bathory (2008)
11. Elizabeth Bathory (2014)
12. Bathory, Countess of Blood (2011)
While I don't usually mention Wikipedia, there is a good article on Erzebet in popular culture.
The best book on her life and legacy is by Tony Thorne, called Countess Dracula. There are also documentaries about her; search on YouTube. E.g., the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory Documentary 2019,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsbQfQUkdGE.
I'm working on my own bibliography; I'd appreciate any listings you would be willing to share with me. Don't forget she was supposed to be the inspiration for le Fanu's Carmilla. Also, there is Dracula's Daughter with Gloria Holden, with allusions to Erzebet, and Erzebet allegedly was Stoker's first choice for Dracula.
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