JohnHowardReid
The script is a muddled, confused affair, full of holes, inconsistencies and ridiculous dialogue. Even on its own juvenile level, the shallow characterizations and comic-strip dialogue betray the efforts of an amateur storyteller who has a knack for dramatic incidents and surprises, a feeling for mood and atmosphere, but difficulties with characters, activation and dialogue.Some of the motivations are just plain silly. Admittedly, the actors make an eager stab at their roles, but it is with the scenery and the sets that the director really excels. The camera beautifully captures the stark atmosphere of the Turkish locations and glides with reasonable fluidity through some truly terrifying sets and effects.
Woodyanders
Archaeologist Chris Bolton (a typically excellent and engaging performance by the always reliable Andrew Prine) comes across a vampire burial ground while working on a scientific dig in turkey and unleashes lethal vampire queen Hannah (the beauteous and bewitching Teresa Gimpera) from her tomb. Meanwhile, Bolton romances local school teacher Mary (an appealing portrayal by striking brunette Patty Shepard).Directors Julio Salvador and Ray Danton keep the enjoyable story moving along at a steady pace, make good use of the scenic Turkish locations, do a bang-up job of crafting a supremely spooky'n'dreamy ooga-booga atmosphere, deliver a few nice bits of gore, and pull out the stirring stops for the lively and exciting climax. The solid acting from the capable cast keeps this picture on track: Mark Damon makes a likable impression as the helpful Peter, Ihsan Gedik has a ball as a ferocious wild man, Frank Bana does well as a sage blind doomsayer, and Edward Walsh cuts a suitably imposing figure as the gruff Ali. Juan Gelpi's elegant cinematography provides a wealth of stunning visuals. Phillip Lambro's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A fun fright flick.
Ben Larson
As I am a big Paul Naschy fan, I have seen Patty Shepard in The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman. Of course, you can't help but have seen star Andrew Prine, as he has appeared almost 200 times on TV and movies. Teresa Gimpera, who plays Hannah, was in the excellent Spirit of the Beehive.Sound effects and music were definitely irritating at times, and certainly lessens whatever enjoyment you might find in the movie.There really wasn't a lot to recommend. The story is pretty common for the genre. Despite warnings, they let the vampire out of the cave and spend the rest of the movie chasing her. Blood and gore were minimal, and there was no nudity to distract.
Doctor_Mabuse
DVD title: Young Hannah, Queen of the Vampires. An archaeologist (Andrew Prine) visits Vampire Island to bury his father, who has died under mysterious circumstances. He ignores the warnings of a schoolteacher (Patty Shepard) and, prodded by an historical novelist (Mark Damon), he opens the tomb of the 13th-Century vampire Queen Hannah (Teresa Gimpera). This routine but decent little import benefits from a colorful Mediterranean location, good photography and an engagingly casual performance by the slumming Prine. Despite a tedious midsection and poor dubbing of minor roles, the film has a mildly distinctive flavor, like a failed Euro-Trash Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).Of the cast, Gimpera played the Crying Mother opposite Christopher Lee in Jesus Franco's El Conde Dracula/Count Dracula (1970), and Shepard (Spanish cinema's answer to horror star Barbara Steele) was Paul Naschy's co-star in the cult classic La Noche de Walpurgis/The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman/Werewolf's Shadow (1971). Damon (House of Usher, 1960) had faced vampires before in Il Plenilunio delle Vergine/The Devil's Wedding Night (1973) and in Mario Bava's I Tre Volti delle Paura/Black Sabbath (1963). (Today a Hollywood producer, Damon faces a different kind of vampire.)Originally titled La Tumba de la Isla Maldita, the completed film (directed by Julio Salvador) was reworked for American release with new scenes shot by former actor Ray Danton, whose horror films as director include Deathmaster (1972) and Psychic Killer (1975).It is more interesting to learn about such films than to dismiss them out of hand.
AD
