Film Fests
Fantastic Fest: ‘The Blood Countess’ Review
Sometimes you watch films for the plot, and sometimes the plot is just Isabelle Huppert’s outfits. Such is the case with The Blood Countess, a lush, ultra-camp slice of German absurdism from cult director Ulrike Ottinger, which made its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026.
As the title suggests, The Blood Countess is loosely inspired by the story of Elizabeth Báthory, the 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman who is said to have killed and bathed in the blood of 600 women to sustain her youth. Here, Ottinger and co-writer Elfriede Jelinek (an honest-to-god Nobel laureate) reimagine Báthory (portrayed by Huppert, naturally) as an immortal vampire—not a new take by any means, but never before realized with such surreal splendor.
Plot? Who Needs It When You Have Vampires?
After awakening from a long sleep, Báthory returns to modern-day Vienna to reconnect with her devoted maidservant Hermine (Birgit Minichmayr), as well as numerous relatives. These include the timid, foppish Rudi Bubi von Strudl (Thomas Schubert), the black sheep of the Báthory clan, who prefers a freshly baked jam bun to human blood. Feeling out of place among his kind, Rudi is on the hunt for a legendary book that is said to turn vampires mortal again when they cry over its pages. Báthory, of course, has zero interest in using such an artifact. She’s having too much fun seducing and draining young women across the city, pursued by the two best-dressed detectives in Austria who think they have a serial killer on their hands, as well as a pair of vampire hunters with a sneaking suspicion that the countess might be a bloodsucker.
That synopsis might sound straightforward enough on paper, but The Blood Countess has little interest in telling a straightforward story. What we get instead is an unhurried jaunt through Vienna, through caves and catacombs, museums and amusement parks, as Báthory and Hermine exchange darkly humorous quips. It’s all irreverently silly, from Báthory’s obviously CGI bat companion to the extravagant horse-drawn Gothic carriage that she travels in around streets more likely to house a Starbucks than a blacksmith’s—not to mention the fact that everyone is speaking German apart from the French legend, which is never addressed. Why would it be?
Huppert as Elizabeth Báthory Is a Match Made in Heaven
Many great actors have given new life to Báthory over the years, from Delphine Seyrig to Ingrid Pitt. Few feel as perfectly suited to the role as Huppert, who embodies the Countess as a series of seemingly effortless contradictions—cold disdain sharing the same countenance with cheeky humor, aristocratic elegance paired with the purely absurd. Her entrance is a spectacle, one that Ottinger gives us plenty of time to soak up as she literally sails onto the screen, and her on-screen presence never fails to dazzle from there.
The surrounding cast can hardly hope to live up to Huppert’s born-to-play-this-role energy, though none are slacking. In fact, a surprise cameo in the third act will leave a certain subdivision of the film’s target viewership—particularly the queer European contingent, based on an audience sampling of me—gasping and clutching at the person next to them in the theater.
But the true co-star of the film is the costumes, designed by Jorge Jara Guarda. Guarda drapes Huppert in eye-popping reds and rich royal blues, accented by her cult film-approved blue eyeshadow and gold-and-blue nails atop her gloves. The costumes that swirl around her are equally eccentric, from Rudi Bubi’s green, embroidered suits to Hermine’s goth-girl glamor, but Huppert never blends into the crowd. How could she? She is the sun around which this campy circus orbits, and we are powerless to do anything but stare at her until our eyes burn.
The Blood Countess Is a Feast, and You’re Invited
The Blood Countess won’t appeal to everyone, but it should find its target audience easily enough (one look at the costumes should tell you if you’re part of that demo). A little sapphic, a lot silly, and an absolute smorgasbord for the senses, it’s a retelling of the Báthory story that cares little about either reveling in the grisly pseudo-historic details or disputing them, opting instead to have a gay old time. Who are we to complain?
At almost two hours, it’s a smidge too long, though telling the Countess that would likely earn me a contemptuous, tight-lipped stare. I shiver with fear (and, if I’m being perfectly honest, desire) just thinking about it.
If you’re not watching Indonesian horror, you’re missing out. The region is producing some of the craziest genre movies around right now, thanks in no small part to the efforts of writer-director Joko Anwar. His latest, Ghost in the Cell, which celebrated its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026, combines everything we love about the filmmaker’s work—supernatural scares, inventive kills, and gnarly gore—along with a strong vein of comedy and political satire.
What is Ghost in the Cell About?
Ghost in the Cell centers around Dimas (Endy Arfian), a journalist whose life falls apart after he tries to run a story on corporate corruption and mysterious worker deaths. Wrongfully convicted of the horrific murder of his boss, Dimas finds himself with a one-way ticket to Cell Block C, where he quickly meets a colorful cast of prisoners—the good, the bad, and the seriously nasty. Among the good guys, there’s Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya), who is constantly getting into trouble for defending fellow inmates, and Six (Yoga Pratama), who claims he can see people’s auras.
As if Dimas’ situation couldn’t get any worse, his arrival seems to trigger a series of brutal killings in the prison. Bodies are showing up mangled beyond recognition and displayed in positions that wouldn’t look out of place in Hannibal. It soon becomes clear that Dimas isn’t behind the murders, which begs the question: what did he bring in with him?
Anwar Embraces Horror-Comedy Whole-Heartedly
Prison is a scary place, and Anwar makes great use of the setting, with the action moving from the dingy showers where predators lurk to the bleak cellblock where inmates are at the mercy of their captors and the cafeteria where rival gangs eye each other up with ill intent.
But for all the human misery contained within the film, Ghost in the Cell is ultimately a horror-comedy, one that isn’t afraid to lean into broad slapstick and quippy dialogue when it wants to raise a chuckle. The tonal shifts can take a little while to adjust to, especially if your previous experience with Anwar comes from his more serious horror outings like Impetigore. This might be a problem if the film wasn’t actually funny, but Ghost in the Cell has enough laugh-out-loud moments to make you forget about any whiplash.
Ghost in the Cell Is a Genre-Bender to the Max
Comedy isn’t the only new flavor that Anwar has tossed into the mix. In Ghost in the Cell, dance sequences and martial-arts fight choreo sit side-by-side with some of the most extreme gore scenes seen outside a Terrifier movie in recent years. Then there’s the eerie way the spirit presents before it kills (trypophobia sufferers, beware) and the extensive critique of political corruption, power, and inequality. It’s an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach that shouldn’t work on paper, but under Anwar’s assured hand, it does.
It helps that for all the slapstick, the film lands a surprisingly earnest message, amplified by its vast ensemble cast. Dimas and Anggoro at times feel like main characters, but everyone in Ghost in the Cell has a big part to play, and that’s the point: in seemingly impossible circumstances, there’s strength in unity.
Ghost in the Cell Is an Endlessly Entertaining Blend of Goofiness, Heart, and Gore
If you’re looking for nonstop scares, you won’t find them in Ghost in the Cell. What you will find is a delightful blend of horror, comedy, and action that is apt to leave you grinning from ear to ear.
The film doesn’t skimp on the gore, throwing flesh and fluids at every surface. But it’s also charmingly goofy, with a cast that doesn’t take itself too seriously and a script that’s all too happy to devolve into a comedic dance scene when it feels like the spirit might strike. In every sense, Anwar is doing the most, and the end result is a film where there’s nary a dull moment in sight.
One of the great pleasures of attending Fantastic Fest is the ability to occasionally see movies that won’t be out for many months. That’s especially true with the Secret Screenings, which this year included a work-in-progress print of In a Violent Nature 2, a film that doesn’t even have a release date yet and made for a wildly entertaining midnight movie surprise.
While a few things may change between now and release, the cut shown at Fantastic Fest felt near-final. Here’s what you can look forward to when this sequel eventually slashes its way onto our screens.
Johnny Returns in In a Violent Nature 2
In a Violent Nature 2 picks up right where the action of its predecessor left off, while also introducing new aspects of the lore that slightly contradict or complicate what has already been established, a nod to the way that slasher sequels throw in new plot elements willy-nilly to suit their needs.
The second film centers on Alex (Lucas Nguyen), a quiet 14-year-old kid who misses the bus home from camp because his bullies have stuffed him in a trunk. Since his older sister works at the camp, he gets to hang out for the night while the counselors celebrate the end of the season. Unfortunately, an old fireman’s whistle has drawn the mute, hulking Johnny (Ry Barrett) to the camp—and before long, their night of revelry has turned into one of unimaginable horror.
Less Walking, More Killing
Chris Nash, who wrote and directed the first film, handles scripting duties this time around, with Nate Wilson—who served as first assistant director on the original—stepping into the director role. It feels as though Nash may have listened to viewers’ complaints about how much walking was in the original, because In a Violent Nature 2 takes a break from following Johnny on his lumbering mission. Instead, the camera largely chases Alex through the woods as he runs, trips, and stumbles away from the carnage.
This change is a mixed bag. Alex may be more a dynamic figure to follow overall, but he also makes some frustratingly poor choices, and his teenage moodiness makes him a little unlikeable. The first film also succeeded, in part, because it consciously played into how audiences consume slasher movies, with their sympathies shifting from cheering on the killer to rooting for the final girl when she triumphantly emerges. In a Violent Nature 2 feels like less of a meta-commentary on the slasher genre, though it still has plenty to offer fans of the genre, especially when it comes to kills.
In a Violent Nature 2 Takes the Gore to a Whole New Level
Mention In a Violent Nature to a horror fan and they’ll probably bring up the yoga kill within 10 seconds. For the sequel, Nash and Wilson attempt to up the ante—no small feat considering just how violent the first film was. It’s hard to top that particular kill, but In a Violent Nature 2 certainly gives it the old college try.
Shifting the focus from a single group of friends to an entire summer camp, even one that’s emptying out, instantly ups the potential body count (and harkens back to the slasher films of yore). Counsellors are slaughtered in droves, in ways more brutal than anything seen in the original film, with a few kills in particular sure to get people talking. It’s a real treat for fans of practical effects, and it’s great to see that even horror films positioning themselves as more “elevated” than the typical fare can have fun and get their hands bloody.
A Possible Set up for Another Sequel?
Minor spoilers ahead.
In a Violent Nature 2 feels like something of a response to the reception of the first film, removing what people didn’t like and piling on more of what they did. The result is a movie that feels a little less focused and meditative than its predecessor, but still incredibly fun. And with a third film heavily teased in the final minutes, it seems like we’ll be seeing more of Johnny in the near future. Based on the trajectory of other slashers, can we expect to see him fighting a psychic child next? Or—dare we dream—is he preparing for a trip to space?
Only time will tell. Better lace up your walking shoes.
When Does In a Violent Nature 2 Come Out?
In a Violent Nature 2 is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2026. Keep an eye on IFC Films and Shudder’s socials for more release information as it becomes available.
