Countess Dracula

Countess Elizabeth is an embittered widow. One day in a fit of rage, she strikes a chambermaid and blood from the girl splashes onto the Countess's face. To her amazement, the blood has made her skin youthful and smooth. Enlisting the help of her devoted servant, she kidnaps the maid and kills her, making herself look 25 years younger. She embarks on a passionate romance with a young officer, until one day she reverts back to her old ppearance. What will she do next and who will be able to stop her?, This excellent period horror from Hammer Studios, stars the voluptuous Ingrid Pitt as an aging, foul-tempered countess who discovers a radical new beauty plan that involves bathing in the blood of virgins. Miffed at having to share her late husband's estate with her teenage daughter, she decides to have the girl kidnapped so she can take her place, thanks to her newfound girlish appearance. This youthful illusion is fleeting, however, wearing off quickly and prompting the countess to slaughter several more young wenches in order to maintain it. Her addiction to blood and beauty rapidly consumes her, and she succumbs to madness... which leads to her ultimate horrific downfall during her own wedding. There is no direct connection made to Hammer's Dracula series, aside from the title and some vague whispers of "Countess Dracula" on the soundtrack during the film's closing shot. Instead, the premise is inspired by the deeds of a real-life murderess -- Elizabeth Bathory, a 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman who was reputed to have bathed in the blood of more than 600 murdered virgins.