Elizabeth Bathory

Elizabeth Báthory is an historical figure and a member of Hungarian nobility from the 16th century. She was born on August 7th, 1560 in the town of Nyírbátor. Historically, she is best known as a serial murderer, who killed virgins and bathed in their blood, earning her the nickname "The Blood Countess". She is also referred to simply as Countess Bathory. Fictionalized accounts of the Countess' exploits often portray her as a vampire. It is said that she is responsible for the deaths of more than three-hundred people. Whether Bathory actually bathed in the blood of virgins is speculative, but she believed that by doing so, she could maintain her youth and beauty, which gives weight to her vampiric connections in modern folklore. Bathory's activities were eventually discovered and she was apprehended and put on trial. She was sentenced to serve out the remainder of her days in captivity, sealed up behind a brick wall with only a small opening from which food could be passed to her. Elizabeth Bathory died on August 21st, 1614 at the age of 54.

Popular culture
Countess Bathory has been presented in various forms of media over the years, most of which adhere to the legend of her atrocities, and her ritualistic blood baths. In 1971, Hammer Film Productions produced the movie Countess Dracula, which was directed by Peter Sasdy and starred Ingrid Pitt in the role of Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy. That same year, a Belgian film called Daughters of Darkness featured Delphine Seyrig in the role of Countess Bathory.

In the 2006 movie Dracula's Curse, the character of Countess Elizabeth Bathory makes an appearance. She is played by actress Christina Rosenberg in the film. This version of Bathory commands an entire vampire horde and attempts to use humans to feed her growing vampire clan and to eventually seize control of a major American city.

The 2009 biographical film The Countess featured Julie Delpy in the role of Erzebet Bathory. Delpy also wrote and directed the film.

The 2013 film Fright Night 2: New Blood stars Jaime Murray as Gerri Dandridge - an ancient vampire who also happens to be Countess Bathory. Kept alive for centuries, she turns up in modern day Transylvania, where she abducts an American girl named Amy Peterson, who she intends on sacrificing in a blood ritual in order to gain the power to walk in the daylight. In the film, there is a giant pool filled with blood that Dandridge bathes in.

An inspirational figure
Another historical figure of note who is a famous female serial killer is Delphine LaLaurie, who was an 18th century Creole socialite from New Orleans. She was known for torturing and murdering her servants. A fictionalized account of Madame LaLaurie was presented in season three of American Horror Story titled "Coven". Played by actress Kathy Bates, this version of LaLaurie is shown applying the blood of her victims to her face, convinced that doing so would give her renewed vitality.

In season two of the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, a witch character named Evelyn Poole, aka Madame Kali, is seen bathing in a tub filled with human blood. This is an obvious nod to the legend of Countess Bathory.

Keywords
16th century | Blood bath | Countess | Vampires