Made by the Croatian born director Djordje Kadijevic for the Belgrade television company "Radiotelevizija Beograd", it was as far as I know only ever shown twice on the then Yugoslavian television network - its original 1973 TV broadcast - and again in the eighties - It has never been "officially" shown outside of its country of origin and no DVD release has ever surfaced.
Leptirica was the first "Serbian" horror film and was loosely based on the 1880 story "After Ninety Years" by Milovan Glisic. The story revolves around the 19th century Serbian village of "Zaroshje" that is plagued by the vampire "Sava Savanovic" who has been systematically killing anyone who takes charge of the flour mill (situated in the woods outside the village). After four millers have been killed the council elders become desperate as food is rapidly running out.
Meanwhile on the other side of the village a poor young man Strahinja is in love with Radojka (played by the hauntingly beautiful Mirjana Nikolic) the daughter of the local landowner Zivan. After asking Zivan for his daughters hand in marriage and been refused on the grounds of his poverty Strahinja decides to leave the village. On the way he is met by members of the village council who persuade him to take the job of the village miller. Fully expecting him to be dead by the morning the council is astonished to find him still alive and decide to locate and destroy the grave of the vampire Sava Savanovic.
After locating the grave they pierce it with a stake but the soul of the vampire in the form of a butterfly escapes from the coffin before it is sprinkled by the Holy water. The village council assume it is all over and argue that the landowner Zivan is being unreasonable in his refusal to allow his daughter to marry Strahinja and with the blessing of the local priest they kidnap Radojka. After a drunken celebration on the eve of the wedding night everyone except Zivan looks forward to the marriage of the two young lovers the next day - however events take a strange turn...
