Fascination (1979) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The women drink blood because they were originally prescribed ox blood by a doctor as a cure for anemia in April 1905. The treatment worked, but they developed a taste for blood and progressed from animal blood to human blood, forming a secret society that lures men to the château to feast on them.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene at the Paris abattoir where the women drink ox blood establishes their transformation from patients to predators.

• blood drinking
• secret society
• ox blood
• vampire cult
• chateau women

At midnight, the women change into transparent robes and prepare to kill Marc, the only man at the party. The ceremony is a blood-drinking ritual where they lure young men to the château under false pretenses and murder them to drink their blood.

Foreshadowing: The reference to a secret ceremony when the women change into transparent robes hints at the ritualistic nature of their killings.

• midnight ceremony
• transparent robes
• blood ritual
• secret ceremony

Elisabeth shoots Eva to prevent her from bringing Marc back to the château. Eva was sent by the Marchioness to retrieve Marc for the blood ritual, but Elisabeth chooses Marc over her former lover and shoots Eva to keep him from being killed, though she ultimately kills Marc herself.

Foreshadowing: Eva's earlier offer to Marc and the resulting jealousy between Elisabeth and Eva foreshadows their conflict.

• Elisabeth
• Eva
• jealousy
• shooting
• betrayal

The secret society consists of aristocratic women led by the Marchioness who have developed a taste for human blood. They lure men to the château as part of their circle, kill them, and drink their blood. Elisabeth and Eva are chambermaids who serve as recruits to this cult.

Foreshadowing: The mention of Elisabeth and Eva awaiting the Marchioness hints at a larger organization beyond the château.

• secret society
• Marchioness
• blood cult
• vampire women
• aristocratic women

Marc betrays his four accomplices to escape to London alone with the stolen gold coins from their robbery. He planned to keep all the money for himself rather than share it with his fellow thieves.

Foreshadowing: Marc's betrayal sets in motion the chain of events that leads him to the château and ultimately to his death.

• Marc
• betrayal
• gold coins
• gang thieves
• escape to London

Eva kills the thieves by first stabbing the gang leader to death after he coerces her into sex at the stables. She then retrieves a scythe and uses it to kill the remaining thieves before returning to the château, wounded but alive.

Foreshadowing: The violence at the stables escalates from the shootout and Eva's coercion, turning her from victim to killer.

• Eva
• thieves
• killings
• scythe
• stabbing
• revenge

Elisabeth kills Marc because she is fully committed to the blood-drinking society. She admits she never loved him to manipulate him and prevent him from escaping. Once she extracts the truth about his escape plans, she shoots him so she can taste his blood, just as she did with the other victims.

Foreshadowing: Elisabeth's early promise to protect Marc from the police was a deception to keep him available for the society's ritual.

• Elisabeth
• Marc
• kill
• blood drinking
• deception
• manipulation

In the pigeon loft, Elisabeth reveals to Marc the complete truth about the women's blood-drinking society, how they started drinking ox blood for anemia, developed a taste for human blood, and formed their secret cult. She then kills him and tastes his blood before returning to the château to lie about what happened.

Foreshadowing: The pigeon loft serves as the secluded location where the secret is fully revealed before the final betrayal.

• pigeon loft
• confession
• blood drinking secret
• Elisabeth
• Marc death

Eva stabs the gang leader after he coerces her into sex at the stables. Forced to submit under threat, she seizes a knife during the act and kills him to escape his control and protect the location of the gold.

Foreshadowing: The earlier shootout and Eva's capture set up this violent confrontation.

• Eva
• gang leader
• stabbing
• sexual coercion
• escape

Marc decides to stay at the château because after the shootout, Elisabeth tells him he can escape before nightfall. However, he chooses to remain, possibly trusting the women or being seduced by the attention at the party, ultimately leading to his death.

Foreshadowing: Elisabeth's warning that he should leave before nightfall foreshadows the danger that arrives with darkness.

• Marc
• chateau
• stay
• escape
• nightfall
• danger