begob
The last of a family of vampires stalks the daughters of the wealthy in romantic era Germany by insinuating herself into their households and seducing the victims with a bit of lesbunism.Gentle horror that plays out OK, but suffers from an undercooked screenplay. The opening sequence is eerie, but there's immediate confusion created by the shroud and a sloppy failure in continuity with an open/closed door.The cast is solid, but struggles with leaden dialogue. The central relationship had a lot of scope for character development, but the writer went for a black & white seduction of innocent but dull virgin, enlivened with some boob flashery. Two characters remain a complete mystery (with a bizarre Scottish accent at one point), which shows poor plotting, and surely the issue of daylight vampires should have been explained.Pace is good, and the music is full on without overwhelming.Overall it's competent if a little confused. With these kind of period pieces I prefer to see tension over the social situation - repression of women, parasitism of the landlords - but this time the story teller failed to sink his fangs into that pulsing vein.
Scott LeBrun
"The Vampire Lovers" is just one of many adaptations of Sheridan Le Fanus' "Carmilla" that have been filmed over the years, and it provides the material for a very sexy Hammer horror film that takes full advantage of the assets of a strikingly attractive female cast. It's as stylishly made as any Hammer production, with top notch visuals and atmosphere and a generous dose of the red stuff.The alluring Ingrid Pitt plays a young woman who goes by a few names who causes tragedy wherever she turns up, always setting her sights on the young women in her midst. However, the men of the village are starting to get wise to her ways; characters such as Roger Morton (George Cole), Baron Joachim von Hartog (Douglas Wilmer), Carl Ebhardt (Jon Finch) and General von Spielsdorf (veteran vampire slayer Peter Cushing) set out to do what needs to be done.In the capable hands of director Roy Ward Baker ("Quatermass and the Pit", "Asylum"), "The Vampire Lovers" is good fun for fans of the genre. One can hardly fail to notice just how erotic it is. The ladies are a pleasure to watch, including Madeline Smith as Mortons' daughter Emma and Pippa Steel as the Generals' niece Laura. Pitt is an effective antagonist as she lusts after her buxom victims and sinks her teeth into various necks. Of course, the whole cast is excellent; Cushing is a welcome presence as always. Also appearing are Kate O'Mara as Mme. Perrodot, Ferdy Mayne as the doctor, Dawn Addams as the Countess, Harvey Hall as Renton, and John Forbes-Robertson as the mysterious man in black. The lavish production is enhanced by a wonderfully sinister score composed by Harry Robertson. The nightmare sequences are especially effective, and the story begins with a delicious jolt."The Vampire Lovers" is but one example of the move towards stylized eroticism in vampire cinema of the 1970s, and was the first in a "Carmilla" trilogy, to be followed by "Lust for a Vampire" and "Twins of Evil". Fans of Hammer, particularly those that favour the sex and gore of their later efforts, are sure to find it an agreeable entertainment.Eight out of 10.
ersinkdotcom
The vampire Countess Carmilla Karnstein makes her way through the Austrian countryside creeping into the households of aristocrats and taking their daughters as victims. The families begin to catch on when a pattern of deaths in the area takes shape. Vampire hunter Baron Hartog is called upon to put an end to Carmilla's wicked ways and end the legacy of terror the Karnstein family is known for.I would like to first comment that I'm not a fan of this sort of risqué entertainment. I steer clear of movies that delve into racier subject matter like this. As a horror film history junkie and huge fan of everything Hammer, "The Vampire Lovers" intrigues me because of its place in a bygone era. I am stupefied that a movie dealing with the "off-limits" ideas it does was even allowed to be shown in theaters in 1970.My main draw to "The Vampire Lovers" is two-fold. First, I love Peter Cushing with all my heart. I've been fascinated with the man since seeing him in "Star Wars" as a child. He commands every scene of every film he appears in no matter how briefly he's on screen. I can't even begin to imagine what such a "perfect gentleman" as Cushing thought when he saw this movie.Secondly, you can't beat the atmosphere of a period piece Hammer film. The sets are wonderfully dreary and Gothic. I absolutely adore the Victorian design and gloriously green exterior shots."The Vampire Lovers" is an essential piece for any collector of Hammer horror films. Although I don't necessarily condone the themes of the movie, it is a fascinating entry in the vampire genre and a unique part of cinema history. I will say this isn't your usual classic 1970's PG gore fest and shouldn't be viewed by young eyes. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/849014/eric_shirey.html
Michael_Elliott
The Vampire Lovers (1970) *** (out of 4) This Hammer film, the first in a trilogy, is far from a good film but there's still no question that it's the studio's most erotic feature and that alone makes it worth seeing. In the film Ingrid Pitt plays Mircalla Karnstein, a vampire who with the help of her family goes around to various rich people in Germany and take their young daughters. This adaptation of "Carmilla" is without question one of the most popular thanks in large part to the added sexuality from the British studio. There's no question that this here was a landmark film for the company as everything after this started to be aimed at adults with weird bits of graphic violence and stronger sexuality. A lot of the credit here has to go to the performance and look of Pitt. While her acting might be questionable, there's no doubt that she possesses the look to play this part. I thought she was incredibly sexual during the seduction scenes and she was also believable as a cursed woman. It certainly doesn't hurt that her beautiful body is on full display and this too adds to the erotic nature of the film. Peter Cushing is good in his supporting bit and the young women who Karnstein goes after also feature some good performances. Director Roy Ward Baker does a nice job building up a good atmosphere and for the most part I thought he kept the film moving well. The screenplay is good but I must admit that the same thing happening over and over again grew a little tiresome. However, that certainly isn't enough to destroy what makes this film so memorable and that's the sexuality, lesbianism and the more adult natured story.
AD
