Based on the 1872 French novella “Carmilla,” vampire countess Carmilla tricks rich aristocratic families into taking her in, befriending the daughters, then feeding on them until they die, when she then moves onto the next family… until she develops feelings for one of her victims (Emma) and must choose between love and her undead life 🧛♀️🩸.
The movie is dripping with atmosphere (and blood) right off the bat; it has all the trademarks: spooky castle, chilling graveyard, and foreboding fog, but all turned up to 11, so you feel drawn in to the world right away.
But the big stand out is this movie for me was Ingrid Pitt as Carmela and how she really… sinks her teeth into this role lol. The way she knows how to draw people in with her striking and porcelain features is the perfect mix of sweet and intimidating, and she brings a subtext of sadness and regret to the character through her acting that makes her a little more complex and slightly more sympathetic than most vampire villainesses.
Peter Cushing (who I’m a big… FAN of) plays the father of one of the victims, and he’s an actor. I always enjoy seeing him in things, so his presence is always a plus; he’s just not a big character but still a very effective element of the movie.
Madeline Smith It was fun as Emma, the character, is a bit naïve, and Smith plays her with a cute comedic charm that I found endearing.
This film came out in 1970, which puts it into an interesting place, totally because this is right between the transition from the classic golden age to the more wild exploitation-driven kind of the 70s, so you kind of get the best of both worlds between classically trained actors on big elaborate sets… with blood, boobs, and screams lol, not to mention some pretty heavy lesbian themes and interactions, which again, for the early 70s, must’ve been very envelope-pushing.
There are two characters: one a human older woman who plays Carmela’s mother to help her get into these families’ houses, and a grey-skinned silent coachman who spends most of the movie just riding around, laughing randomly, and looking creepy. Who is not sure what their purpose in the film was? This film is the first of a trilogy, so they could always show up in future films. I’m unaware of, not to mention the coachman’s presence does bring something to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, they don’t really hold much narrative function in the film, and I wondered why they’re there; they take away from the film, really.
Again, the entire cast are class-trained British actors, so everybody, even the dudes with one line, gives excellent performances, which is always nice.
The score fits a classic horror movie vibe, but it’s full of mood and a few surprising ballads for the genre, which I appreciated.
The pacing is nice and brisk. They managed to fit a lot into an hour and a half, and while some elements could’ve been developed more, nothing feels out of place or left hanging, so you still get a satisfying story.
Folks, I’m a simple man; you give me Ingrid Pitt as a lesbian vampire… I’m gonna have a good time, which I did. 😅 I give The Vampire Lovers four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; it’s a real neck level flick. 🧛♀️🩸😂
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