10 Horror Films That Aren't Talked About Enough
2. Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders (1970)
In this list's second recommendation from the Czech new wave, a young girl named Valerie is faced with unwanted, insidious advances following her first period. From her balcony, she spies a nightmarish, vampiric figure lurking among a crowd of wedding performers. His arrival terrifies Valerie's grandmother, who evidently shares a history with the perfidious visitor.
This dark, coming-of-age horror-fantasy deserves to be far more widely seen by fans of the horror genre. Much like Ginger Snaps and The Company of Wolves adapted werewolf lore into allegories of a girl's passage to womanhood, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders did the same with vampires (and revolting, pervy priests).
The 'monster' of the film is known as the Constable, and Christ Almighty - you'll be seeing this guy's face in your nightmares for years to come, so consider yourselves warned. He is absolutely horrifying, with or without his predatory behaviour towards the 14-year-old heroine.