Among all the great horror movies on Netflix, a surprisingly hefty amount of its spooky exclusive titles deal with the subject of vampirism. However, the platform has never distributed a vampire movie quite like El Conde, which could also be considered the latest biopic by Spencer and Jackie director Pablo Larraín and certainly the one that takes the most liberties so far. Before you use your Netflix subscription to better understand what we mean, allow us to give you a SPOILER-FREE inside scoop into what there is to expect from this intriguing 2023 movie release.
El Conde Reimagines A Former Chilean Dictator As A Vampire
Four days before El Conde released on Netflix on September 15th marked the 50th anniversary of when General Augusto Pinochet assumed power over Chile, serving as its authoritarian leader for a record 17 years before he later passed away in 2006.
This engrossing piece of revisionist history depicts the infamous dictator (Jaime Vadell) as a bloodsucking creature of the night who, after 250 years on Earth, announces that he is ready to die, arousing the attention of his greedy children. If this sounds like the workings of a comedy, that is because the film is one, but also much more.
A Dark Satire With Savage Political Commentary And Gruesome Gore
Larraín and Guillermo Calderón’s script for El Conde — which won Best Screenplay at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, according to The New York Times — takes a darkly funny approach in its historical analyses, using vampirism as a metaphor for fascism and the creature’s manipulative power to represent dictators’ propensity for corruption. The film’s own unique rules for vampirism are also explained by a narrator whose identity is later revealed in, arguably, the film’s most biting example of political satire (no pun intended). Despite these unsettling themes and moments of gore, it just barely resembles a horror film in its general style of execution, but does boast a frequently unnerving tone thanks to its orchestral soundtrack, which is also used to juxtapose some the film’s viscerally morbid moments.
It's Available To Watch Dubbed Or With Subtitles
El Conde means “The Count” in Spanish, which is the film’s primary language, but like most international movies released on Netflix, viewers can select to hear the dialogue dubbed over in various languages — including English, French, and more. The platform also has the option to hear the film in its original Spanish, but to follow along with subtitles in the language of their choosing.
The Film Is 110 Minutes
Unlike most horror-comedy movies of a more overtly farcical nature, El Conde is a predominantly earnest slow-burn that takes its time to offer the viewer a thought-provoking and provocative experience. That being said, it is not a particularly long movie with a runtime 10 minutes shy of two hours.
El Conde Is Rated R
Even in its beautiful black and white cinematography, the aforementioned gore and violence depicted in El Conde is not for the faint of heart and easily earns it an R rating. This categorization is also supported by some language and moments of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and allusion to sexual assault.
Fans of vampire lore, pitch-black satire, and inventive historical rewrites will find just what they are looking for in this new 2023 Netflix original movie release. Log in to stream El Conde on Netflix now.
