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Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A Masterpiece!

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Britain's Hammer Films, needing new blood for their continuing series of vampire outings, went some years back for inspiration--1871, to be exact, and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanuthic's short story "Carmilla", believed to be one of the earliest works of vampire fiction (26 years before the appearance of Bram Stoker's "Dracula"). In a small Austrian town in the 18th century, a 240-year-old female vampire (Ingrid Pitt) charms her way into the homes of a general (Peter Cushing) and later a nobleman (George Cole), seducing both their comely daughters and leaving her mark above their breasts. Her conquests are overseen by a man on horseback, who acts as her guardian. For genre buffs, a decent bloodsucker; there are a few marvelous scenes (decapitations and lesbian clinches, with much female nudity), but the handling is flat and the acting fairly colorless. Worse, the editing leaves confusion in the narrative, while Harry Robinson's obtrusive, derivative music underlines every other scene with heightened emphasis. Producers Michael Style and Harry Fine quickly followed this "Vampire" with two more: "Lust for a Vampire" in 1971 (without Cushing) and "Twins of Evil" in 1972 (with Cushing). *1/2 from ****

I haven't read the original story from the pen of J. Sheridan Le Fanu, but I believe this is a pretty faithful adaption of his 1872 vampire tale. Made by Hammer Films in 1970, there are two things to be considered when addressing this movie.Firstly, Hammer's resident genius in chief Anthony Hinds retired several months before the film went into production, and they decided to allow outside producers into the stable. Michael Style and Harry Fine had formed a company called Fantale, and it was they who proposed adapting Carmilla to Hammer.And on 1st January 1970, The British Board of Film Censors bowed to common sense and changed the certification system for movies. In came the "AA" certificate which allowed people in if they were 14 years of age or older and the "X" viewing age was changed from 16 to 18 years and over, allowing for more graphic content to be seen.And so Hammer got boobs! The film itself is a pretty good movie, though it has some limitations. Telling the story of Mircalla Karnestein, a beautiful vampire who mingles in Austrian society, we get plenty of mild sexy stuff as Ingrid Pitt cavorts topless with some English Totty! The nudity is always pretty tasteful, and Hammer (who produced the film with AIP) were merely dipping a toe into the new permissive society.After about 25 minutes it gets bogged down for a while, playing like an expanded version of Lucy Westernra's seduction by the Count in Dracula. This goes on too long, as it's the sort of film where the audience is way ahead of the characters as to what is actually going on. However things pick up considerably after the hour mark, and the final third of the film is engaging and highly watchable.The cast? Well, Peter Cushing appears, though not in a major role, and it's Ingrid Pitt who has to carry most of the film. She's a bit old for the part, and occasionally over the top. But her rather sad-eyed vampire is quite affecting. And with Jon Finch, Ferdy Maine and Arthur Daley himself George Cole on hand it's always decently acted. Okay there are some shots of tennis courts on show at the beginning of the film, but it doesn't look as cheap as say Scars of Dracula, and is effectively shot by director Roy Ward Baker.The Vampire Lovers is the first part of a loose trilogy Hammer made on the Karnsteins: it was followed by the hopeless Lust For A Vampire and the extremely good Twins Of Evil. And they both have boobs in 'em too!

In Styria, Austria, General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) gives a party and a countess explains to him that she needs to travel immediately to visit a relative that is ill. She leaves her daughter Marcilla (Ingrid Pitt) under the care of the General. Marcilla befriends his daughter Laura (Pippa Steele) and then the teenager has nightmares, where she is attacked by a dreadful creature. The doctor finds that Laura is anemic and soon she dies.Marcilla leaves the house and the countess fakes a carriage accident to leave Marcilla, now known as Carmilla, with the wealthy Mr. Roger Morton (George Cole). Camilla befriends Emma Morton (Madeline Smith) and soon she starts having nightmares. Her governess Madame Perrodot (Kate O'Mara) is seduced by Carmilla and helps her to be close to Emma. Mr. Morton travels and the butler Renton (Harvey Hall) and the doctor suspect that Madame Perrodot might be a vampire but they do not suspect of Carmilla. Will Emma be saved from Carmilla?"The Vampire Lovers" is a bold and sexy vampire movie by Hammer with the right dose of eroticism. In 1970, lesbianism was not a usual theme and a lesbian vampire was a novelty. This is the first time that I see a vampire associated to a shroud. The plot explores the sensuality of Ingrid Pitt and her female victims but is never sexploitation. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Carmilla, A Vampira de Karnstein" ("Carmilla, The Karnstein's Vampire")Note: Last time I had seen this movie was on 07 December 2002.

I don't know if I will ever get a chance to see Lesbian Vampire Killers, but going back to see the film that probably started the whole lesbian vampire genre popularized by Jean Rollin and Jess Franco.Hammer Studios is to be commended for bringing this Gothic tale with an erotic twist. It is part of the so-called Karnstein Trilogy of films. Subsequent films in the trilogy are Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1972).It was a real shame to see the buxom Kirsten Lindholm beheaded in the opening, but there would be more treasures to come.Carmilla (Ingrid Pitt) stays with Roger Morton (George Cole), and his daughter Emma (Madeline Smith). She wastes no time parading around naked and engaging Emma is play. She visits at night as a cat to groom her for the ultimate conquest. Not satisfied with just Emma, she brings the Governess (Kate O'Mara) under her power by seducing her.People soon start dying in the neighborhood. It is only though the intervention of Renton (Harvey Hall) and the doctor (Ferdy Mayne) that Emma is saved. The crafty Carmilla manages to neutralize both, exposing Emma to attack. Who alive could resist her charms? Meanwhile, Morton runs into Baron Joachim von Hartog (Douglas Wilmer) and General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) on their way to Karnstein castle to find the last vampire's coffin.But, who is the Man in Black (John Forbes-Robertson)?