Daughters of Darkness

Daughters of Darkness (Les Lèvres rouges, 1971) is a Belgian erotic horror film you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Harry Kümel. Newlyweds Stefan and Valerie arrive at a grand, near-empty seaside hotel in Ostend. Off-season, no other guests — just sea wind and echoing corridors.

Then Countess Báthory appears: Delphine Seyrig, dressed immaculately, with a silent secretary, Ilona (Andrea Rau), one step behind. The Countess seems to know this hotel better than anyone should. The more time the couple spends with her, the more the pleasant surface starts to give.

Kümel's film runs almost entirely on atmosphere and Seyrig's performance — controlled, hypnotic, pitched slightly wrong in a way that accumulates real unease. This kind of erotic horror from 1971 rarely holds up. This one does. Stream Daughters of Darkness (1971) online on iFILM.