Krvopijci
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Bloodsuckers'' () is a 1989 Croatian
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
directed by
Dejan Šorak Dejan Šorak (born 29 March 1954 in Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northea ...
. The film was archived by the
Croatian State Archives The Croatian State Archives () are the national archives of Croatia located in its capital, Zagreb. The history of the state archives can be traced back to the 17th century. There are also regional state archives located in Bjelovar, Dubrovnik ...
. ''Bloodsuckers'' was poorly received by critics and at the box office at the time of its release, but has garnered a following. It is also remembered for the film debut of Ksenija Marinković. Photographed by artist Goran Trbuljak, most of the film was shot on Zagreb's Gornji Grad to achieve a Gothic visual style.


Plot

The streets of
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
at night are deserted due to a serial rapist also reputed to be a vampire. One evening, Teobold Majer (Maro Martinović) visits Dr Franz Glogowecz (Danilo Lazović) in the psychiatrist's isolated Gornji Grad villa. Teobold claims to be a 16th-century vampire, desiring the services of Glogowecz, whom he reputes to stem from a long line of vampire hunters. Franz is nonplussed, ordering him to leave. However, his young wife Barbara (Ksenija Marinković) is attracted to the young man. She follows him and catches him at the altar of
Stone Gate The Stone Gate () is a landmark in the Upper Town of Zagreb, Croatia built between 1242 and 1266. Its present-day appearance dates from the 18th century. Interior The landmark is located at Kamenita Ulica 3, in Zagreb's Upper Town. Inside is ...
of Gornji Grad, where he bites her neck, leaving the telltale mark of vampire fangs. Despite having held a
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...
and professing to be a witch earlier that evening, Barbara is greatly amused and invites Teobold to visit her at the villa once her husband has fallen asleep. On her way back, Barbara is followed by a man whom she maces, thinking he is the rapist, before realising he is Franz. Meanwhile, the Glogowecz villa is visited by Franz's estranged uncle Jambrek Glogowecz (Zvonimir Torjanac) and Jambrek's dimwitted son Jurek (Danko Ljuština). Jambrek also happens to be a lover from the youth of housemaid Jalža (Semka Sokolović-Bertok), who agrees to secretly let them in. During the night, Teobold makes an entrance at what he presumes is Barbara's bedroom window, but ends up in an altercation with Jurek, who mistakes him for
Krampus The Krampus () is a horned anthropomorphic figure who, in the Central and Eastern Alpine folkloric tradition, is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December (''Krampusnacht''; "Krampus Night"), imme ...
, tearing a piece of his cloak. As Franz discovers the guests and identifies the torn piece as Teobold's clothing, the arrival of relatives he never knew he had, coupled with Barbara's evasiveness about her neck wound and Teobold's window appearance, begins to sway his skepticism of vampires. The next day, while Barbara is taking Jambrek and Jurek to the Zagreb Zoo, Franz takes the cloth to his friend, a chemistry professor, who identifies it as very old wool. He investigates his family history at the library, learning that seven of his ancestors were staked as vampires in the 16th century, along with a woman named Barbara who was burnt as a witch – the events were officiated by a Teobold Majer. This thoroughly convinces Franz that Teobold was telling the truth all along. He shares his thoughts with his family: Barbara remains skeptical, but Jambrek and Jurek help him in preparations to destroy the vampire. At night, Franz breaks into the Zagreb Botanical Garden to procure a hawthorn bush to make a stake (). There, he is nearly arrested by a policeman. The following day, Jambrek issues a newspaper ad offering vampire killing services. This brings Franz's vampire hunt to the attention of police inspector Brodski ( Ranko Zidarić) and
healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...
Bjelinski (Zlatko Vitez), who cryptically offers him his support. In the evening, a young woman (Asja Potočnjak) answers the ad. Displaying a neck wound similar to Barbara's, she tells the Glogoweczs of a purported vampire, a Mr Drakulić (Ilija Ivezić), giving them the directions to his grave at
Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...
. In exchange for 2000
German mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was typically c ...
s, a hefty sum, the Glogoweczs agree to take on the assignment. While skeptical Barbara intends to pocket the money, Jambrek brandishes a real hawthorne stake and hammer, proud family keepsakes. Franz orders the group into the car and to the locked cemetery. Barbara acts as the lookout as the others begin to dig up Drakulić's grave. Accosted by Teobold who wanders the cemetery at night, she spots a group of people headed for Drakulić's grave just as the Glogoweczs are about to open the casket. Jambrek and Jurek flee in fear of law. Startled by the 20-year-old cadaver's lively appearance, Franz, a true believer in vampires, decides to remain behind to stake the body. He is stopped by the young woman and Inspector Brodski, who reveals that this was a sting operation. A dispirited Franz is taken to the Jankomir Psychiatric Hospital. However, Franz is soon released. In his villa, he finds Brodski and Bjelinski, who apologise to him for his committal, and, to Franz's surprise, proclaim that there may be something to his story after all. The film ends with a surprised Teobold Majer running into Drakulić, who is also stalking the nighttime streets of Gornji Grad.


Cast


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0188779 1989 films 1989 comedy horror films Croatian comedy horror films 1980s Croatian-language films Yugoslav comedy horror films Vampire comedy films Films set in Zagreb Jadran Film films Krampus in popular culture