A short, simple & sincerely crafted horror feature that takes its inspiration from one of Serbia's most famous folklores and is drenched in myth, legends & superstitious paranoia. Leptirica (also called The She-Butterfly) is Serbia's first attempt at horror filmmaking and though not a first-rate effort, it still exhibits a lot of promise.
Written & directed by Dorde Kadijevic, the story is a tad too simple for its own good and what would've sufficed as a short film is stretched to a feature-length narrative here. Still, the plot treatment is lighthearted, characters are amusing, and whatever little frights do exist in the final print are carried out with both heart & honesty.
The one aspect where it truly impresses is in its foreboding atmosphere. There is a looming presence of a lurking threat that envelops its rural setting and it is palpable even in the most playful scenes. Use of camera & sound is neat. Performances are serviceable at best. And with only 63 mins to spare, sitting through it isn't much of a stretch.
Overall, Leptirica is a fun, enjoyable & well-paced Serbian (former Yugoslav) horror that utilises its resources quite well and makes up for some of its shortcomings with its eerie ambience. There is plenty of potential in here that possibly wasn't explored coz of TV restrictions of its time but this folksy take on vampire lore still manages to surprise in bits n pieces.