Watch The Curse of Styria For Free

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

An interesting Gothic film that is more creepy than outright terrifying. There's quite a bit of blood, and it should be remembered that in Styria as well as other parts of the Old Country there is no difference between a vampire and a witch. The word used for both, interchangeably, is 'striga', plural 'strigoi'. This is a great study for anyone even remotely interested in vampire lore, but more questions are asked here than are answered--something some like, I however do not. The plight of abused women seems to be the primary theme, and what an abused woman can do about her predicament. Familial love, though, wins out in the end and the striga is forced to leave because of the intensity of that love. J.S. Le Fanu wrote quite a different story, but this is a nice adaptation or inspired piece, and the lesbian theme is really downplayed and made to look more like what Le Fanu intended and wrote as opposed to what today's critics like to repeat for the masses. The cinematography and acting are excellent. I only give this film a seven because the phantasmagoria wasn't phantasmagoric enough, possibly because the reality scenes were too real and interspersed with the nightmare far too often.

THIS IS HOW VAMPIRES CAME TO BE. THE MODERN WAY PEOPLE THINK OF VAMPIRES IS ONLY ABOUT 200 YEARS OLD. ALL THE REVIEWS WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A HORRIBLE REFERENCE TO VAMPIRES COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG. THE IDEA OF VAMPIRES WAS AROUND LONG BEFORE Dracula. I've never seen a movie which depicted vampirism as it was before the 1800s when it became all about fangs, big collars, castles on a hilltop, etc.. and it was quite refreshing. The story could have been written a little better, but as far as getting old superstitions correctly, they did great. The first "vampires" were actually just people who suffered from TB, or consumption as it was called.(The "castle" they stayed in in the movie used to be a recovery for people with consumption.) Usually the first to fall ill was the one the people thought was a vampire. Since the disease literally withered their bodies away, it was thought that the dead were draining the living. Their proof was digging up the Graves, as they did in the movie, and if the body appeared fresh then they were a vampire, which was also depicted in the movie when they dug up the girl and fresh blood ran out of her mouth. Afterwards, they would steak the heart, cut off the head and burn the body. In some cases they would cut out the heart, burn it, then have the sick drink the hearts ashes thinking this would cure them. My point being, maybe if more people realized it's much more accurate than they think, they'd like it a bit more. I could go on, but if you like history, vampires and creepy stories, you should like this movie.

I watched this on itunes. Completely not what I had expected. It's starts out slow and this may frustrate some viewers, but the rhythm works to create a hypnotic mood. At it's core, the story is about a young woman who needs a connection. It's a universal theme, imbued here with a very spooky atmosphere. This is a subtle thriller. And if you stick to it, it will definitely yield its rewards. The castle where most of the film takes place feels truly haunted. And the faces of the villagers are just incredible. I wish I could watch this film on the big screen. It must be a real treat to see some of those hypnotic images. If you like films that respect you as a viewer and allow you to experience something different, this movie is for you! I know I will be watching it again soon!

After waiting what seemed to be a lifetime to see this film, Styria was finally released on Hulu Plus. It was worth the wait. Everything about this film is designed to challenge your senses. The pacing, the art direction, the cinematography, the score, everything about this film is used to draw you in. The boldness that the filmmakers showed in modernizing such an amazing story was a gamble that easily paid off. If you took the best parts of Murnau's Nosferatu and Fukunaga's Jane Eyre and blended them together, this is the movie that would emerge. This is easily one of the best vampire films of the last 20 years. Sheridan Le Fanu would be proud of this adaptation.