Film Review
One of the classier vampire films made by Hammer,
The Vampire Lovers was something of
a landmark in British cinema, and the horror genre generally, with its
overt depiction of lesbianism. The film was made at a time when
Hammer was up against strong competition from rival companies who
appeared far more willing to embrace the era of permissiveness.
In a frantic attempt to revitalise its Gothic horror franchise, Hammer
would not only include more explicit violence in their films but would
also introduce female nudity.
The
Vampire Lovers would be Hammer's most successful attempt at an
erotic horror film; what came afterwards was a slow and dismal descent
towards the worst excesses of exploitation cinema and inevitable
oblivion.
Although it shared the familiar Gothic trappings of Hammer's
Dracula
series,
The Vampire Lovers is
stylistically an altogether different kind of film. With its
fluid camerawork, slick dissolves and bold expressionistic touches, the
film has a dreamlike feel, which both accentuates the horror content
and imbues the film with something of the bleak romanticism of the
original Gothic writers. The story is closely based on Sheridan
Le Fanu's short novel
Carmilla,
which had previously provided the inspiration for another essential
horror film, Carl Theodor Dreyer's
Vampyr (1932). The
film's success led to two lesbian-themed sequels,
Lust for a Vampire (1971) and
Twins of Evil (1972), the three
films being known collectively as
The
Karnstein Trilogy.
The Vampire Lovers was
directed with immense flair by Roy Ward Baker, arguably his most
inspired film since his Titanic disaster movie,
A Night to Remember
(1958). A one-time assistant to Alfred Hitchcock, Baker had
something of a chequered career. After a promising start to his
career, he ended up directing fantasy/action TV shows such as
The Avengers and
The Saint. He scored a
notable hit with Hammer's
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
but later directed
Scars of Dracula (1970), one
of the weakest entries in Hammer's Dracula series.
Making her Hammer debut (and what a debut) is the Polish actress Ingrid
Pitt, who became an instant horror icon largely through this
film. Pitt would star in two subsequent Hammer horrors, including
the controversial
Countess Dracula (1971).
Unlike in that latter film. Pitt isn't dubbed by another actress, and
so
The Vampire Lovers offers
her in her full exotic glory, her thickly accented voice proving to be
as sensual and inviting as her other well-developed female attributes,
of which we get to see a great deal in this film.
That
The Vampire Lovers is
a considerably more polished production than much of Hammer's output is due to
the generous financial backing it received from American International
Pictures, Hammer's biggest rival at the time. It was AIP who
insisted on the inclusion of Peter Cushing in the cast list, to assuage
concerns that the film would not otherwise be marketable in the United
States. Although Cushing plays a comparatively minor role in the
film, he adds greatly to its dramatic impact, through his natural
talent for making the fantastic appear horrifyingly real.
One of the main strengths of this film is the quality of the
performances. Ingrid Pitt, a natural born scene-stealer, may
dominate this film, but there are plenty of other turns to
relish. Kate O'Mara is chillingly creepy as the prim governess
who has a phobia for garden herbs, exuding the same classy bitchiness
that would later serve her in good stead in the TV series
Dynasty. As the corrupted
innocent, Madeleine Smith has far more substance than the usual
run-of-the-mill Hammer heroine, providing an effective contrast with
the über-sensual Pitt. Making his big screen debut is Jon Finch,
who would subsequently star in Roman Polanski's
Macbeth (1971) and thereafter
become one of Britain's most highly regarded Shakespearean
actors.
With its stylish design and compelling performances,
The Vampire Lovers easily rates as
one of Hammer's better horror offerings. For one thing, it has an
intelligent script, which tackles the issue of lesbianism with
surprising sensitivity, and incorporates erotic elements in a tasteful
manner, with none of the tacky juvenile excesses of contemporary
exploitation movies. Of course, some will watch this film merely
to ogle at Ingrid Pitt in her famous nude scenes, but it clearly
deserves to be considered much more favourably than a tame piece of
erotica. This is a film that dares to alter our perception of the
vampire, banishing the monstrous fiend of our nightmares and replacing
it with the seductive siren of our subconscious, the emblem of our
darkest and most fervent desires. Who can resist the kiss of the
vampire now?
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Roy Ward Baker film:
Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
Film Synopsis
In the mid-1800s, General von Spielsdorf is hosting a ball at his
mansion in the small European country of Styria. When one of his
guests, an unnamed countess, is called away, the General gladly agrees
to take care of her daughter Marcilla. The General's own
daughter, Laura, is strangely attracted to the mysterious Marcilla, but
it proves to be a fatal friendship. After a steady decline in her
health, Laura dies and Marcilla disappears. A short time
later, Marcilla appears in a carriage with her mother. When the
carriage breaks down, the Countess appeals to a man named Morton to
take care of her daughter, who now goes by the name Carmilla, whilst
she performs a vital errand. Morton is delighted to be of service
and takes Carmilla back to his house, where she wastes no time
befriending his daughter, Emma. History soon repeats
itself. Emma succumbs easily to the charms of her new friend but
her health slowly begins to deteriorate. Meanwhile, several
peasant girls in the area are found dead, their bodies drained of
blood. Terrible memories of a previous vampire infestation are
revived... How many young girls must die before this latest
manifestation of evil is destroyed?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.