In the genre of vampire movies, the blood-sucking antagonist is often depicted as either Nosferatu or Dracula (who are pretty much one and the same). Both have deep ties to dark lore and supernatural stories that have been retold, rebooted, and re-imagined in countless on-screen works. The latest hit was Robert Eggers‘ 2024 film, Nosferatu, a remake of the 1922 classic. When fans think of the Gothic creature, there are fangs, bloodshed, bone-chilling horror, and endless bodies covered in cobwebs. But Pablo Larraín‘s2023 Chilean black comedy horror, El Conde, offers a fresh and chilling take on vampire mythology by expertly blending classic vampire lore with real historical events. While still being inspired by Nosferatu and its dark allure, El Conde turns Chile’s most heinous dictator, Augusto Pinochet, into a haunting vampire story that gives the genre new ground to fly over.
‘El Conde’ Turns the Chilean Dictator Pinochet Into a ‘Nosferatu’-Like Vampire
Directed by Pablo Larraín during a break from his biopics about history’s most iconic women, El Conde reimagines Pinochet (Jaime Vadell), the real-life Chilean dictator, as a 250-year-old vampire who faked his death and now lives in seclusion in a crumbling estate in southern Chile. Tired of his immortal existence and the legacy of his brutal dictatorship, Pinochet longs for death. However, his corrupt and greedy children arrive at the estate to claim their inheritance, complicating his desire to finally die. Meanwhile, a mysterious nun with a secret agenda is sent to investigate the family, leading to twisted revelations and a surreal power struggle. Through black-and-white cinematography (which earned the film an Oscar nomination) and macabre humor, El Conde offers a sharp critique of authoritarianism, historical revisionism, and political legacy. It turns Pinochet into a literal bloodsucker as a metaphor for his historical use of exploitation.
‘El Conde’ Weaves Historical Facts With Supernatural Lore And Comedy
For those with little knowledge of Chilean history, Pinochet was a Chilean army officer and politician who was the country’s dictator from 1973, when he staged a coup d’état, until 1990. His legacy is known by many as being a dark one, with countless stories and reports of missing citizens, death, misuse of government power, and theft of public resources. Pinochet and his inner circle were accused of amassing personal wealth through embezzlement and exploitation of state funds. This complex and controversial legacy serves as the chilling foundation for El Conde, where the character’s vampirism becomes a metaphor for the blood he spilled and the life he drained from a nation.
The use of intricately woven real-world history with centuries-old vampires creates a unique and unsettling fusion of political satire and gothic horror.El Conde transcends traditional vampire tropes and anchors its supernatural narrative in the concrete horrors of authoritarian rule. It’s a bold, creative choice rarely seen in vampire cinema that gives the film a chilling sense of realism. Instead of relying solely on traditional supernatural elements, El Conde grounds its narrative in the political and social upheavals of the past, making the vampire’s existence feel both timeless and eerily plausible.
Instead of focusing solely on classic vampire tropes like fangs, coffins, and eternal youth, El Conde uses the vampire to explore deeper themes like historical trauma, political legacy, and the lasting impact of fascism. In the movie, Pinochet has lived for years after his regime, but despite being immortal, it’s the one thing that still haunts him. It’s a somewhat dark comedic take on the real Pinochet, who always denied the reality of his dictatorship. Instead, the vampire’s immortality represents how oppressive his regime can still influence those it affected. Not to mention, the vampire’s desire to die is a dark joke on his avoiding responsibility.
While classics like Nosferatu dealt with the horrors of the unknown and facing a creature of the night more wicked than humanity, El Conde reimagines the vampire as something far more familiar and grounded in real-life terror. Instead, it creates a villain born from history, a dictator whose evil isn’t mythical; it’s documented. Audiences never see the full bodily horror of the vampire; instead, the horror comes from its unraveling tale based on facts and smaller nuances of vampirism.
The use of black comedy amplifies the message with deadpan delivery and a family fighting over an inheritance in the ruins of a home, turning trauma into a family squabble. Using dark cinematography that is moody and gothic contrasts some of the movie’s ridiculous moments, like Pinochet blending a human heart into a smoothie. While rooted in historical darkness, El Conde also mocks and challenges how history remembers him. The humor forces audiences to confront the uncomfortable truths of corruption and violence, where, to Pinochet and his family, it feels disturbingly normal and a footnote of their privileged lives.
‘El Conde’ Use of Cinematography Mimics ‘Nosferatu’ Dark Style
El Conde’s use of black-and-white cinematography has clear nods to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic Nosferatu.Its heavy use of shadow, high-contrast lighting, and eerie, elongated compositions recalls the haunting stillness and visual unease that defined Nosferatu’s horror. The slow camera movements, isolated landscapes, and somber interiors of El Condeecho the silent film era’s meditative pacing, forcing the viewer to sit with the dread rather than rush through it. For example, the opening shot shows Pinochet’s crumbling mansion surrounded by empty fields and thick fog. This setting makes him feel cut off from the world, both physically and emotionally. Static shots of Pinochet’s cold, dilapidated home dwarf the characters with dark hallways and looming shadows that make the space feel lifeless and haunted, similar to Nosferatu’s architecture.
One of the film’s most memorable shots is Pinochet flying slowly through the night sky, with his cape trailing behind him in the darkness. It’s not fast or dramatic; instead, it feels strange, lonely, and unsettling. The scene evokes a quiet sense of fear, knowing that a villain of Chile’s past is still looming over the townspeople and refuses to go away. By weaving historical fact with vampire myth, El Conde revitalizes a well-worn genre, appealing to horror fans and history buffs alike. The movie is a unique take on terror rooted in fact, fleshed out with the use of surreal imagery, a gothic style, and dark humor. It stands as a striking example of how horror can be both entertaining and intellectually engaging, proving that vampire stories still have fresh, terrifying ground to explore.
- Language
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Spanish, English, French
- Run Time
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1 hr 50 min
- Director
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Pablo Larraín
- Release Date
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September 15, 2013
- Actors
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Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger
