El Conde: Netflix release date, what is it about, trailer, cast with Jaime Vadell - who was General Pinochet?

El Conde is Netflix’s new dark comedy horror movie from Chilean director Pablo Larraín.

Starring Chilean actor Jaime Vadell as The Count, El Conde tells a satirical story about one of the darkest characters in Chile’s history, General Pinochet. The dictator whose brutal rule left thousands dead and missing is portrayed as a 250-year-old vampire.

Filmed on location in Chile, the movie is hauntingly set in black and white and was well received when it aired at the Venice Film Festival.

So, when can you watch El Conde on Netflix, what is it about, is there a trailer, who stars in the horror movie and who was the real-life General Pinochet? Here’s everything you need to know.

When is El Conde released on Netflix?

El Conde will be available to watch on Netflix from Friday 15 September.

What is it about?

El Conde is a dark satirical take on the Chilean dictator Augsto Pinochet, portraying him as a vampire. Speaking to Netflix Tudum, director Larraín explained: “we have used the language of satire and political farce, where the General suffers an existential crisis and must decide if it is worth continuing his life as a vampire, drinking the blood of his victims, and punishing the world with his eternal evil. An allegorical reminder of why history needs to repeat itself in order to remind us of how dangerous things can become.”

The official synopsis from Netflix reads: “El Conde is a dark comedy/horror that imagines a parallel universe inspired by the recent history of Chile. The film portrays Augusto Pinochet, a symbol of world fascism, as a vampire who lives hidden in a ruined mansion in the cold southern tip of the continent. Feeding his appetite for evil to sustain his existence. After two hundred and fifty years of life, Pinochet has decided to stop drinking blood and abandon the privilege of eternal life. He can no longer bear that the world remembers him as a thief. Despite the disappointing and opportunistic nature of his family, he finds new inspiration to continue living a life of vital and counterrevolutionary passion through an unexpected relationship.”

Is there a trailer?

Netflix released an official trailer for El Conde, you can watch it below.

Cast of El Conde

Here is the cast line-up for El Conde:

• Jaime Vadell as El Conde
• Gloria Münchmeyer as Lucia
• Alfredo Castro as Fyodor
• Paula Luchsinger as Carmencita

Who was General Pinochet?

The character in the movie is inspired by the real-life Chilean dictator General Pinochet who seized power in a coup in 1973 and controlled the country until 1990. Pinochet was known for his brutality, an estimated 3,065 people were tortured, killed and disappeared under his regime. Reported by AP, approximately 1,162 victims of his dictatorship still remain missing. He died in 2006 whilst under house arrest after being charged with 300 human rights abuses.

Speaking to Netflix Tudum, director Larraín explained why he envisioned Pinochet as a vampire. He said: “I have spent years imagining Pinochet as a vampire, as a being that never stops circulating through history, both in our imagination and nightmares. Vampires do not die, they do not disappear, nor do the crimes and thefts of a dictator who never faced true justice. Together with my collaborators on the film, we wanted to show the brutal impunity that Pinochet represents.”