The legend of Hungarian countess Elisabeth Bathory isn't as well known as rumored distant relative Vlad the Impaler (aka Count Dracula),but her story has created much curiosity because of her vicious deeds. Raised by an equally cold mother to be regal, brilliant, brave and unfeeling, she accidentally discovering the curing power of blood in the de-aging process. Looking much older than her 39 years when she begins this reign of terror, she goes between youth and looking aged, always cool in the way she gets the blood from these young virgins, even ordering one to run or be killed in a sudden burst of conscience. Julie Delpy keeps her cool even in the most tense moments, adding a sort of divine right to do what she's doing.

The historical aspect of this is fascinating, but I found myself turning my head during some very tense torture moments. There's also her dark, rather evil lover who enjoys being the recipient of sadomasochist tortures. This tries to give the impression that as a woman suppressed in a man's era, she was somehow the victim of a conspiracy and committed these sins because of a lost love. This sends mixed messages to the viewer, especially since they also have her documenting everything she did. The case of Elisabeth Bathory was simple. She was a blood thirty vain power obsessed psychopath whose legend should be a warning about the evils of excessive vanity.

Julie Delpy gives her own vision (through an innocent young man's eyes who would have been one of her numerous -male and female-lovers)of a nefarious figure of history .her direction is icily impersonal but effective .Her hieratic cold look gives the jitters for her acting is restrained.Unlike Walerian Borowczyk's segment of "Les Heroines Du Mal"(1979) in which Paloma Picasso played an "erotic " countess with nudity galore,"the countess" has few bed scenes and few gore clichés -and with THAT subject,it is much to Delpy's credit.Her directing is not feminine at all (as Agnès Varda's or Jane Campion's are) and her character has the mind of a man :political power,women and men treated -with one exception- as sexual objects .She wouldn't sacrifice a virgin lad cause ,she says , God created man in his own image .She remained pious even in living in the most awful sin!

The atmosphere which is depicted does not square with reality,if you read one of her biographies:she lived in a lugubrious castle ,in a cold area,and she suffered from chronic migraines which almost never gave her any respite.

I must admit that I had expected a bit more from this movie, especially given the story that it was portraying and telling. I just had expected something grander than what director Julie Delphy dished out here.

Everyone should be fairly familiar with the bloody story of Countess Bathory, well at least if you have just an ounce of interesting in World history. So I am not going to delve into details about the storyline.

What worked for this movie was the acting. Julie Delphy, who both directed and starred in the movie, did a great job in her portrayal of the Countess Erzebet Bathory. There was something very raw and emotional about her acting in "The Countess" and she really carried the movie all by herself.

Julie Delphy seems rather talented, doing acting, directing, producing and even writing the music for this 2009 movie.

But the movie was just too slow paced for my liking, but it was an interesting portrayal of the infamous Countess Erzebet Bathory.