The Vampire Lovers (1970)

i must have seen a different film!!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

To change with the times Hammer sought out to make a film with more overt sexuality. While Hammer horror films always had beautiful, voluptuous babes with big boobs, Hammer turned up the eroticism(and turned on many!) with the lesbian vampire classic The Vampire Lovers. Starring the stunning and very talented actress Ingrid Pitt and directed by Hammer horror regular Roy Ward Baker. The Vampire Lovers is an excellent film that combines Gothic horror with eroticism, but does so without being too trashy or detracting from the horror element. Ingrid Pitt delivers an amazing performance as Carmilla, a smoking hot vampire vixen that enjoys the company(and blood) of women. Carmilla,indeed has great taste in women and her victim/companion of choice(actress Madeline Smith) is very beautiful and gives an excellent performance also. Roy Ward Baker made a real well acted, great looking Gothic horror film with great ambiance, great score and of course a cameo from the great Peter Cushing as The General. After The Vampire Lovers, Ingrid Pitt also made Countess Dracula for Hammer, which I highly recommend if you enjoy this film. By today's standards the eroticism is not such a big deal, but in 1970 it was a boundary that was pushed by displaying such material. The quality of the film stands the test of time and I got a lot of love for The Vampire Lovers!

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)?

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.