Vampire Princess (TV)

I love documentaries, however it's not always easy to find a really well-crafted one. Usually the information is potentially interesting, but the way in which it's presented can be so dry that I zone out within just a few minutes. But the Smithsonian Channel's new doc (just in time for Halloween!) entitled "Vampire Princess" certainly whet my curiosity with the story of bohemian royalty, Eleonore von Schwarzenberg (d. 1741), and her youth-preserving penchant for drinking the milk of lactating wild wolves.

"Not an easy task," intones the grave-voiced narrator, stating the obvious with just a smidgeon of a smirk. Captured in hunts and housed in the Princess's palace dungeon, "The wolves' howls could be heard across the kingdom." I'll bet! It reminds me of the "cat milking" dialogue in Meet The Parents.

I should point out, "Vampire Princess" isn't played for laughs. That's just my own off-kilter sense of humor tingeing it. The story begins with the discovery of three ancient bodies; the skeletal remains of humans who, it seems, were manipulated in such a way as to keep them from ever rising from their graves.

This is apparently the first archaeological evidence of what was known as "vampire hysteria" — they were buried using Magia Pasthuma, which was an uncommon ritual used to prevent the undead from coming back to kill the living. One skeleton's head rests between its legs, stones weighing down the limbs, a rosary binding the hands; another has a wooden stake protruding from the chest; and all had rocks between their jaws.

The action then flows to the Princess, who enjoyed a most bizarre lifestyle. Extremely superstitious and fascinated by the occult, the Princess used magic spells and outlandish rituals in order to become pregnant in her middle age (she succeeded in giving birth at 41 — almost unheard of, at the time). She would take her young son hunting for wolves, and even had their portrait painted in full regalia, guns and all. But there's something strange about the portrait, which was exposed only through x-ray technology. Further studies of the castle's meticulously-kept household records and the Princess's diaries (nothing like Anne Hathway's!) uncover even more long-kept secrets.

Using a mix of voiceover, expert's explanations, footage of the actual excavation and testing, plus some very well-acted, beautifully detailed recreations, the creepy, sometimes shocking story of Princess Eleonore von Schwarzenberg unfurls.

"Vampire Princess" is well worth a look. Especially if it's dark, and you're all alone!

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

Written and directed by Klaus T. Steindl and Andreas Sulzer. Writer: Klaus Feichtenberger. Narrator: Brad Abelle. Executive producer: Walter Kohler.

Airs Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7 p.m. Check your local listings for accuracy, and repeats. Also, the official website has clips and further information: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_vampire_princess.do