Acclaimed composer gives gloomy Slovak animated film a stunning (sic) soundtrack

Viktor Kubal (1923 - 1997) is considered the father of Slovak animated film. His showpiece is Krvavá pani, or The Bloody Lady. The National Film Institute Hungary: “If there is a single jewel worthy of discovery in Slovak animation, then The Bloody Lady is certainly it.”

The film is based on the gruesome folk tale of Elisabeth Báthory (1560 - 1614): the most famous serial killer in Slovak and Hungarian history. She even made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the murderer with the most deaths to her name. The reason for her murderousness: hoping to remain eternally young, she was convinced that bathing in blood would literally rejuvenate her skin.

claire rousay

She is praised by The New York Times, which included her album Sentiment in its list of Best Albums of 2024, alongside the likes of Charlie XCX and Nala Sinephro. She recently made the cover of our favorite monthly magazine, The Wire, which described her music as “Intimate, emotionally raw and unflinching.” Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) is a fan (see also: their collaboration on the single How Sweet I Roamed) and gifted her a load of instruments after hearing that her apartment had been burglarized during a tour.