What a hoot! I knew this was going to be a little bit absurdist and a lot camp and I thoroughly enjoyed every stylish and silly moment.

This is the new one from Ulrike Ottinger, and it has the star power of Isabelle Huppert playing the blood countess of the title. She is an ancient and very stylish Hungarian vampire, Blutgräfin Erzsébet Báthory, visiting Vienna after a long absence. She is reunited with her loyal maid Hermine (Birgit Minichmayr) and sets about uncovering a mysterious book that potentially can make a vampire into a mortal.

Also in the mix is a young family member Rudi Bubi von Strudl (Thomas Schubert) who loves his jam buns and is so against his vampire nature that he has become a vegetarian. He has a therapist Theobold (Lars Eidinger) who doesn’t believe that vampires exist and thinks that he can psychoanalyse him out of his delusions.

There are stylish fashions, ridiculous names (like Theobastus Bombastus), a lot of overacting, and surprising musical numbers – watch out for a cameo that really lifts the spirits of the film, so much so that it got a round of applause at my screening. It doesn’t take itself at all seriously and, as long as you are prepared to switch your brain off and just go along for the ride, you will have a lot of fun.