A group ventures through the Transylvanian woods. The moon is high in the sky. The group consists of two men from the local constabulary, a local man, Professor Broom, and Zara. They are on a mission to rescue a missing young woman.
Stefan, the local man, contacted an associate of Broom and Zara, who in turn contacted them. Stefan is Anna's fiancé, the missing woman. The Constables Andrei Moldovan and Cristian Popescu informed Zara and Broom that Anna is not the first woman to go missing. Moldovan also told them the seamstress working on Anna's wedding dress was found dead along with her baby in the home above her shop. It was also where Anna was last seen since the young woman had a final fitting there.
Broom and Zara were not called to help on a simple missing person and murder. They were called because of their expertise in the paranormal. Broom and Zara's associate told them that Anna had been taken by a vampire, along with countless women over the centuries. And they were taken by the same vampire: the Hungarian Countess Erzsebet Ondrushko.
Broom stops walking to sit on a fallen tree. He takes out a white handkerchief and wipes his brow. The man is taking a moment to catch his breath. Zara notices her friend and approaches him.
"Are you alright, Broom?" Zara asked her friend, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine, Zara. Just not used to these mountains," He responded. Broom looks up at his friend. "A moment's rest. And I'll be ready to go."
Stefan stops before looking behind at Broom and Zara. He then urgently says, "No. We can't rest. There is no time. She has Anna."
Broom puts the handkerchief back in his coat before standing up. He and Zara walk to catch up with the group.
"We have dealt with vampires before, Stefan," Moldovan said. "A stake through the heart, a clove of garlic on the tongue, and the villagers will sleep peacefully again. Tonight, we will send her to Hell."
The sudden howl of a wolf captured the group's attention. The howl came from deep within the forest.
"But this one is different than the others," Zara voiced. "She has had centuries to learn and gain power. We must be careful and not let our guard down."
"We need to hurry!" Stefan urgently stated.
The man walks faster than the rest of the group walking behind him. Zara stops and turns to the moon behind her. Their greatest weapon was a couple of hours away. Zara knew the sun would be the only chance to destroy Erzsebet.
Suddenly, two enormous birds flew over them, and the birds' silhouette raised an alarm for the group. A high-pitched cry was heard.
"What was that?" Stefan asked.
"Some sort of birds. Big ones," Popescu answered.
"Eagles. Hunting. Just like us," Moldovan said before he continued walking the path to the castle.
While Stefan and the other constable follow Moldovan, Broom and Zara gaze at the night sky for a few more seconds before the woman turns to her friend.
"Those were no eagles. They were something else," Zara stated. "Something evil."
"Then it is a good thing you are here, Zarathos," Broom said.
The two share a look that means they are determined to make it both out alive. Broom and Zara quickly catch up and rejoin their small group.
After a few more miles of trekking up the mountain and passing through a graveyard, the group arrived at the castle. The absence of windows prevented the moonlight from illuminating the room. The group, except Zarathos, use their flashlight to see their way through the castle.
The group soon came upon a torture room with female skeletal remains in the torture devices. Zarathos could sense the fear, agony, and misery of every innocent tortured in the room. It is overwhelming. The woman clutches her head in pain as she receives flashes of scenes from the past. A woman is stuck in a pillory, another is being pulled on a rack, another is bleeding and chained to the wall, and another is being locked inside an iron maiden. Blood seeps out from the iron maiden.
"Zara," Broom places a hand on the woman's shoulder, ending the flashes.
Zara takes a breath and looks at Broom's concerned face.
"I'm fine," She told Broom. Zara looks around the room. "So much death. This monster must be stopped."
Seeing the skeletons in the torture devices causes Stefan's hope of saving Anna to dwindle.
"Your fiance, she could still be alive," Popescu told Stefan.
"But there's not much time before—" Moldovan began before he saw Broom and Zara kneel on the ground to inspect something. "What?"
Broom's flashlight shines on a small dark liquid pool on the ground. Zara dips her finger in the liquid before bringing it to her face as she and Broom stand.
"It's blood," Zara informed the men. "And it's fresh."
Stefan's heart silently breaks. The hope within the man is gone. He turns away from the group, trying to fight back the tears.
Broom shines his flashlight on the pool of blood before following a trail. The trail leads him and the others to a wall with a portrait of the vampire they seek. The blood goes underneath the wall, and the group concludes there is a secret room behind it.
Zara punches the wall. After two hits, a large hole is created. Stefan quickly sticks his head through and is met with a tragic sight.
"Anna!" Stefan exclaimed in horror. "No! No!"
The young woman, wearing her wedding dress, lies lifeless on the floor before a clawfoot tub. Stefan rushes over to Anna and cradles her in his arms. The others enter the room. The constables stand behind Stefan while Broom and Zara approach the bathtub. Broom shines his light at the clawfoot tub, revealing it to be blood-filled. No doubt Anna's.
Stefan rests Anna's body back on the ground before taking one of her hands and bringing it to his lips. The man kisses it as tears run down his face. Zara approaches and kneels beside Stefan. There was something she needed to check. The woman tilts Anna's head to the side, revealing two puncture marks on the deceased woman's neck. It was then everyone realized what needed to be done.
Broom removes a hammer and wooden stake from his bag. He holds the items before Stefan. The young man stares at the hammer and stake before he takes a deep breath, composing himself.
"Yes. If it will bring her peace," Stefan said, accepting what he needed to do. The man takes the items from Broom.
Stefan places the point of the wooden stake on Anna's chest, over her heart. The grieving man looks toward Broom and Zara. The two look at Stefan, assuring him he is doing the right thing. Stefan raises the hammer and looks at Anna one final time before closing his eyes. With a swift motion, Anna is at peace.
"We still have to find her," Moldovan reminded the group.
Zara approaches the sheer curtains in the corner of the room before moving them aside with her hand. The woman finds something valuable for herself and the others.
"I believe this is a good place to start," Zara said.
The group joins Zara and sees a stone sarcophagus. The men realize that it is Erzsebet's coffin. They may have failed to save Anna, but there was still a chance to destroy the monster who killed her.
With caution, the group moves closer to the stone coffin. Zara uses her immense strength to push the lid down the coffin, revealing it empty as Moldovan shines his flashlight inside.
"Empty," Moldovan said.
The sudden sound of multiple wolves growling catches the group's attention, and they look away from the coffin for a second. Stefan gasps, drawing the other's attention, and they notice someone from their group is missing: Moldovan.
"Where is he?" Popescu questioned.
Suddenly, a drop falls from above and lands on Broom's coat's cuff. Broom and Zara examine the drop before discovering it is blood. The Professor shines his light on the ceiling, revealing Erzsebet drinking blood from the neck of their missing constable. The group gasps in horror at what they are seeing. Erzsebet's lips depart from Moldovan's neck as she wickedly smiles at those below her.
"Erzsebet Ondrushko," Zara said.
The woman and the men stepped away from the vampire. The vampire drops Moldovan's body, landing on and cracking the stone coffin. Ezsebet hisses as she bares her fangs at the group. Popsecu and Stefan gasp in fear before running away.
"Wait. Stay together. Stop!" Broom called after the men before he and Zara ran after them.
"We must stay together and remain calm. Panicking is what Erzsebet wants," Zara told Stefan and the remaining constable.
While running, the group enters the castle's old throne room. It has multiple tunnels leading out. Broom and Zara keep themselves composed in their life-or-death situation, but Stefan and Popsecu allow their fear to take over. The two men freeze at the sudden eerie howling of wolves, which seems to come from all directions.
"We have to get out," Stefan said before running down one of the tunnels.
"Run, Professor! Run, Miss Zara!" Pepsecu told the man and woman before running down a different tunnel.
"No!" Broom and Zara exclaimed.
Soon, Broom and Zara heard the men's screams as they were torn to shreds by Erzsebet's wolves—the sounds of the wolves barking and growling mixed with the screams and the sound of bones crushing. The mixture causes Broom's and Zara's hearts to drop.
Blue flame candlesticks mounted to the wall begin appearing out of thin air. Blue flames then appeared in the fireplace. Erzsebet then appears, gliding out of the shadows to reveal herself to the last of the group.
"You brought the others, yet you did not flee with them," Erzsebet said.
The vampire's eyes drifted toward Zara. She could sense the great power from within her. The woman's youthful and beautiful appearance made her the perfect candidate for Erzsebet. But the vampire was unaware of what Zara was. Broom removes his metal flask from his bag and unscrews the cap.
"Something to calm your nerves?" Erzsebet asked as she moved closer.
"Holy water," Broom said as he threw the water on Erzsebet's face.
The female vampire recoils after the water comes into contact with her face. Erzsebet holds her face and screams in agony as the skin on her face burns from the holy water. Steam comes off her face. Broom and Zara notice the flames from the candles and fireplace disappear.
Erzsebet smacks Broom, sending him into one of the stone thrones. Zara delivers a quick right hook to the vampire, knocking her to the ground before rushing to Broom. The woman helps her friend up. The two watch Erzsebet writhing in agony and know that she will attack them. They need a plan.
"My face," Erzsebet growled as she stood up. Erzsebet removes her hands, revealing the damage done to her face by the holy water. "You... You've stolen my beauty."
Broom and Zara back up, hitting the tapestry between the two stone thrones. The Professor quickly notices something and taps the tapestry before concluding what's behind it. Zara sees this and reaches the same conclusion. They now have a plan.
The vampire roars at Broom and Zara before flying straight toward them. When Erzsebet is close enough, Zara pushes Broom away seconds before the vampire collides with her. Both women fly through the window with the tapestry covering them. The tapestry moves, allowing the morning sun to shine on the women. Erzsebet's eyes widen in horror as she loosens her grip on Zara.
Zara manages to grab onto the ledge before Broom helps her up. The pair watch as Erzsebet bursts into flames. The vampire screams in agony as th sun burns away her flesh, revealing her skeleton. She continues to burn until nothing of her is left but dust. The dust then flies past Broom and Zara, disappearing into the castle.
Suddenly, several of Erzsebet's wolves appear in the throne room, growling and looking at Broom and Zara with blue glowing eyes. The two were in a staring contest with the wolves for what felt like an eternity. Then the wolves back away, disappearing into the shadows.
Broom and Zara hope this is the end of their dealing with Erzsebet. But things are rarely so simple in their line of work.
