Carmilla

Carmilla

Directed by Emily Harris
/ 2019
96 minutes

Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic Gothic vampire novella, “Carmilla” — a moody, atmospheric, beautifully mounted adaptation — is a coming-of-age love story enveloped in mystery. Sheltered 15-year-old Lara (Hannah Rae) lives with her father and strict governess, Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine), but when a carriage crash brings enigmatic young Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau) to recuperate at their house, she provides an outlet for Lara’s curiosity and burgeoning sexuality. The pair begin a passionate friendship, but rumors of a supernatural presence make Miss Fontaine mistrustful of Carmilla. The Times Literary Supplement writes: “A new cinematic vision of ‘Carmilla’ by the filmmaker Emily Harris is one of the most rewarding entries in the canon — a moody allegory of teenage curiosity and longing within a domestic setting of rigid evangelism and sexual repression. At its most compelling, the film also recuperates the figure of Carmilla from oversexed demoness to queer feminist.”