Drool worthy production design

I recently reviewed "Bathory: Countess of Blood" over on my web-channel, Haunting TV, and I enjoyed the production design of the film so much I just wanted to bring some of my thoughts over to you guys here.

First off, if you have never seen "Bathory" here's my review:

Now for the fun stuff,a slew of screen caps and my random thoughts about the film's design for you to enjoy:

The Costume design in this movie was stunning. And the cinematographer's use of lighting and framing to make shots feel like 17th century oil paintings was stunning.

Also, The props department really had their work cut out for them. I mean, just look at this painting! I wonder if they photo-shopped it and then had it printed out on canvas or if they actually hired someone to paint this. I can't imagine someone painting multiples of these though- since this painting goes through a lot in the course of the film which meant they would have needed quite a few duplicates.

And then there were the incredibly iconic wigs. The wool wigs really added a fantastical flare to the style of the characters in this film. I kept finding myself going- how on earth do you make human hair do that?! The answer is, you don't. You make animal hair to it.

Now, let's just admire this carriage and the horses tackle set for a moment. Yep. Pretty well crafted props-work, yet again.

According to the information I've been able to find, the movie was filmed in Slovakia. But you're welcome to correct me if I'm wrong. I do think, wherever they found their locations, they made incredibly good use of them. And really paid attention to hiding modern details.

Look at that chair! Look at the witch's wig! There are so many great combinations of textures and details in the movie. It made for a very rich viewing experience.

This hat. This hat was the painter's solution to painting in the darkness of the cave, and I thought that was such a cool concept. I wonder how worried that actor was about his head catching on fire during filming though...

This was one of very few sets that really felt like a constructed room, or one that was created specifically for the film. But they did such a good job with the construction of it that the only reason I think it might be constructed is because of how free the angles and camera movement were within the room. The camera's movement sort of hinted at walls being moved around... but without asking questions of people who specifically on the film, I can only guess. But I digress. What I did want to point out was how well composed this set it. You have the red of the drying clothing adding life to the edges of the frame and complimenting the blood red water of the Countess's bath, with enough visible light sources to trick the eye into thinking the lighting feels natural.

This movie was such a spectacular looking one, and I'll probably return to it again in the future when I am in need of some production design inspiration.

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If you're interested in seeing more image collections like this, I post a ton a research for projects and reviews over on my Pintrest board.