Released quietly in a thimbleful of cinema screens ten years ago, Elliot Goldner’s first, and so far, only, film was quickly released on a bare bones DVD, seemingly destined for an afterlife of quiet obscurity. However, a handful of decent reviews, including one from Mark Kermode who in his review claimed he nearly had to leave the screening room towards the end through fear, have helped the film garner a small cult following that have amassed around its haunting story. Fair play to then to Second Sight Films who have released the film in a new substantial package, finally giving the film its proper due.

A series of shocking, grisly murders take place in a small French village amid a mountainous landscape. Simultaneously, several children have gone missing, one of them turning out to be the son of a couple who have become the latest victims to have met their end in spectacularly gruesome fashion. Turning up on the scene to investigate if the missing children could be linked to a series of abductions across the country is police captain Franck, turning up at the same time as big city detective Elisabeth who has been called into investigate the murders. Despite bristling against each other, and the resentful small town small police force, they find their investigations melding together when they discover the local legend of a monstrous figure who feeds on the souls of the dead.

Adrien Beau's debut feature THE VOURDALAK is a visually atmospheric, smartly adapted take on Tolstoy's vampiric novella, blending folk horror, period drama, and puppetry to deliver a fresh, eerie, and original twist on the vampire mythos despite its low budget.