Drag queen, model and winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest Conchita Wurst (aka Tom Neuwirth) joins Isabelle Huppert in the upcoming vampire horror mystery The Blood Countess.
Variety, who reported the news earlier today, has also revealed a first look still of The Blood Countess, which is headed to the Cannes film market later this month as Magnify handle global and U.S. sales rights.
Directed by acclaimed German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, The Blood Countess tells of the legend of 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman (and possibly real-life vampire) Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who emerges from a long beauty sleep with an insatiable thirst.
The Blood Countess‘ screenplay was penned by Ottinger and Elfriede Jelinek, the Nobel Prize in Literature winner and acclaimed author of the aforementioned The Piano Teacher
Rounding out the cast of The Blood Countess are Birgit Minichmayr, Lars Eidinger , Thomas Schubert and André Jung.
An official synopsis reads:
“Báthory and her devoted maid (Minichmayr) embark on a baroque quest through Vienna to recover the red elixir of life. The book, if found and read by the vampire’s enemies, threatens their vampire realm. Hot on their heels are a vegetarian nephew (Schubert), his psychotherapist (Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector, and more lively characters in this twisted and humorous vampire tale,”
Neuwirth made waves back in 2014 with the song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix', which went on to win Eurovision for Austria, taking to the stage in glamorous drag and a full beard in protest of restrictive gender norms. Who he's playing in The Blood Countess remains to be seen.
Behind the scenes, The Blood Countess‘ key crew is lead by cinematographer Martin Gschlacht who notably worked on The Devil’s Bath from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, with costume designer Jorge Jara (Freak Orlando) and production designer Christina Schaffer (The Girl With a Pearl Earring).
Look out for more on The Blood Countess as we get it.
