El Conde (The Count) is a Chilean satirical horror film released on September 15, 2023, on Netflix. It is directed by Pablo Larraín and the screenplay is co-written by Guillermo Calderón. It has a runtime of about 1 hour and 50 minutes and presents a fictional account of former real-life Chilean ruler Pinochet, as a vampire.
The ensemble cast of the film includes Jaime Vadell as Augusto Pinochet, Gloria Münchmeyer as Lucia, Alfredo Castro as Fyodor, Paula Luchsinger as Carmencita, Stella Gonet as Margaret, Antonia Zegers, Marcial Tagle, Diego Muñoz, Amparo Noguera, Catalina Guerra, María del Rosario Zamora and others.
– Contains Spoilers –
El Conde Review
The film portrays Augusto Pinochet, a symbol of world fascism, as a vampire who lives hidden in a ruined mansion in the cold southern tip of the continent. Feeding his appetite for evil to sustain his existence. After two hundred and fifty years of life, Pinochet has decided to stop drinking blood and abandon the privilege of eternal life. He can no longer bear that the world remembers him as a thief.
But one can not simply get away from the worldly desires and greed that his children possess. Now that he has decided to die once again and for the last time, his children start wondering about all the money and properties that he stashed away during his regime. And once he is gone, they wish to have full control over his assets for a comfortable life.
On the other hand, his wife Lucía Hiriart has other plans – including turning herself into a vampire as well and becoming young by consuming all the human hearts that Pinochet has frozen in his cellar. She doesn’t want to give one penny to her children but to start a new life in a new place.
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Despite the disappointing and opportunistic nature of his family, he finds new inspiration to continue living a life of vital and counterrevolutionary passion through an unexpected relationship with the French accountant that his daughter called upon. Her identity is even more complex as she is a nun in reality, sent to kill the vampire or perform exorcism on him.
The visual style of the film makes you reminiscent of the 1920s-30s black and white silent horror films with some elements of expressionist cinema. One of the funniest crossovers is introducing Margeret Thatcher as his mother and how she turned into a vampire herself. It could either make you chuckle or feel a bit outraged.
The creator mixes his crimes as the Dictator and the vampire, thirsty for blood, to emphasise what kind of brutal history the country has gone through. It also makes the younger audience aware of the personality in an entertaining manner. And whenever he is asked about something heinous he did, he responds – I don’t remember, but it’s not true. And if it were true, I don’t remember. Although a funny dialogue but also presents a semi-real account of Pinochet with his trials.
The character of Carmen brings in another arc and subtly shows how the real blood-sucking species might be his five children, who are ready to kill him and their mother when he changes his mind. Also, the institution she secretly represents is not really different from them. Overall, it’s an artistic expression that mixes politics, satire and horror to present a tale with an afterthought. If you are looking for some witty horror with a classic feel (due to the B&W visuals) then this might be a good pick.
Rating: 4/5
El Conde is available for streaming on Netflix.
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