Genre cinema lends itself to fruitful experimentation and Vourdalak is a prime example, offering ample opportunities for it along with dark, profound chills and a delightful Gothic atmosphere. A father returns from the war to his children (now as a vourdalak), dead yet alive, while simultaneously, an envoy of the King of France arrives at their secluded forest home. Profoundly atmospheric and endlessly unsettling, The Vourdalak is a genuinely unique horror film plunges into the origins of cinema to give birth to something drastically new. Shot in 16mm, with the father-vourdalak as a menacing, foreboding marionette and Ariane Labed embodying an eerily beautiful and enigmatic daughter, the film is as paradoxical as it is magnetic. A debut that reveals the tremendous talent of a filmmaker (with a background in the arts and production design), capable of crafting a world filled with shadows, nuances, and depth using the simplest yet unexpected materials.
