The Vampire Lovers [Blu-ray]

This review is for the Blu-Ray release of 'The Vampire Lovers' release by Shout! Factory in 2013. This movie is the first of what is known as 'The Karnstein Trilogy.' The other two are 'Lust for A Vampire' and 'Twins of Evil.' These movies were released in the early 70's by the famous horror movie company, Hammer Productions. BLU-RAY & EXTRA'S: The picture is very good. It's not the clearest picture I've ever seen but it's still blu-ray quality. I'm not an expert in these things so I'm giving it 4 stars. The extra's are excellent. They are: - Commentary track with the Director, Roy Ward Baker, actress Ingrid Pitt and writer, Tudor Gates. - A documentary called 'Femme Fantastique: Resurrecting The Vampire Lovers.' - Interview with Actress Madeline Smith - A reading of 'Carmilla' by Ingrid Pitt - Photo Gallery - Theatrical Trailer - Radio Spot - Reversible cover PLOT/SUMMARY: The movie opens with a scene from the past in the 18th century (the whole movie takes place in the 18th century but moves forward, I'm guessing approximately 20 years or so since the Baron Hartog has clearly aged.) The Baron Hartog is in a castle over looking a graveyard. He is there for vengeance. A vampire has killed his sister. A beautiful vampire approaches him and hypnotizes him but he is saved when his crucifix distracts the vampire. He cuts her head off. Years later at a party held by the General (Peter Cushing) a strange lady leaves the party and also leaves behind her daughter, Marcilla, who is really Carmilla. She said she is being called away for an emergency and thanks the General for allowing her daughter to stay. Carmilla befriends his niece, Laura. After a short period of time, Laura becomes very weak and eventually dies. The village doctor notices the fang marks on Laura's breast. The General understands what has happened and leaves to go and find the Baron Hartog. Right after Laura's death, Carmilla leaves. Shortly thereafter, the same situation repeats at Roger Morton's house. Carmilla and her mother arrange for their carriage to break down and Carmilla feigns illness. She is taken in by the Morton's where she befriends his daughter Emma. Emma also has a caretaker named Perrodot. Shortly thereafter, Emma begins to weaken. Ebhardt, the butler, catches on to what is happening. He calls for the doctor. The doctor and Ebhardt arrange to have someone with Emma at all times and call for her father to return. Ebhardt suspects Perrodot. Carmilla had previously hypnotized Perrodot and has her do her bidding. Ebhardt and the doctor have garlic flowers put in her room along with a crucifix and a 24 hour guard. Carmilla realizing that her days are numbered kills Ebhardt and the doctor along with Perrodot. Morton, Hartog and the general return and meet Carl, a young suitor of Emma and a friend of the family. They tell him to leave to protect Emma. Carl returns to Morton's house and saves Emma. Carmilla takes off and leaves for her castle graveyard. Hartog, Morton and The General head to the graveyard to stop Carmilla for good. PRODUCTION: This movie was release in 1970 and was directed by Roy Ward Baker. It is based on a novella that had been a serial in a magazine called 'The Dark Blue' in the early 1870's. Peter Cushing appears in this movie but it is as a supporting role. He plays the role of 'The General.' He is in the opening 15 to 20 minutes and then takes off in search of the Baron Hartog. He then returns for the last 15 minutes or so to help hunt down the vampiress Carmilla. AIP (American International Pictures) was co-financing the film and they were uneasy with the script which had lesbianism in it along with plenty of nudity. This was still at the very beginning of the ratings system which allowed for these sorts of things. To ease their fears a bit, Hammer brought in Cushing. Cushing had been a long established star in horror movies in the late 50's and 60's starring many times as Dr. Frankenstein and Van Helsing along with other roles. Ingrid Pitt, got the role as Carmilla after meeting James Carreras, head of Hammer. The role was supposed to go to a young girl because in the novel 'Carmilla,' Carmilla is a 16 year old girl. Pitt was 32 at the time. She had all the qualities that Hammer was looking for. Pitt was a Polish actress and she also stars in 'Countess Dracula.' These are the two movies for which she is most well known. COMMENTS: Hammer uses a different set of rules for vampires in this movie. We are told that vampires can only be killed through a stake in the heart or their head being cut off. They take no chances and do both. They can go out in sunlight. Sunlight seems to be more like an annoyance as 'Carmilla' prefers to stay in the shade. The cross and garlic can keep vampires away and are used as protection as is the norm. They also go into this bit about a shroud. I'm not sure if I have this right but they say that when a vampire leaves their coffin they drop a shroud that they must wear when they go back into their coffin. In the end scene they make a point of looking for the shroud but then this doesn't factor in again. I wasn't sure why Baron Hartog and the General and company had to move Carmilla's coffin into a chapel. They didn't have to do that with any other vampire. Perhaps this was explained in the novella. Vampires are one of my least favorite movie monsters. I know they are popular among women and men too because they have personality but I prefer Frankenstein, Werewolf and others. The whole 'erotic' thing just doesn't do it for me. Strictly a personal preference. I never really figured out who 'The Man in Black' was. Was he a master? a pervert who liked to watch? or something else? I didn't read the novella but I know he had a different role in it. Also, he was supposed to die in this movie but a script rewrite kept him alive for possible sequels. I also never figured out who was the lady travelling with Carmilla. I also never really figured out why Carmilla would outright kill some of her victims immediately and slowly drained the blood from others. I thought she was turning them into vampires but she wasn't. Once again, I guess if I read the novella then this would be explained. Probably has something to do with her being in love with them and not wanting to kill them. RECOMMENDATIONS: I recommend this movie for all fans of vampires and of course, fans of Hammer Productions. I'm giving it 5 stars because of this release is very good. You get a commentary track with the major players along with the very good movie. I'm giving the movie 4 1/2 stars and the Blu-ray print 4 stars and I'm bumping it up to 5 stars because of the commentary track, excellent extra's and importantly, the price. This release is priced at $9.99 for the multi-format version at the time of this review in January, 2018.

Although I'm a little too young to have enjoyed "The Vampire Lovers" during its theatrical release, I have a long history with the film on video. I bought the bargain-priced VHS tape in the mid-90's, the MGM "Midnite Movies" DVD release in the early 2000's, and now I'm delighted to have it in HD on Blu-ray. What can I say. . .I'm a fan. :-) And as such, I'm happy to report that this is a first-class presentation of this terrific vampire movie. As my subject line suggests, I think it's the last truly great horror film the venerable studio put out (although there were a couple of more decent 70's releases like Vampire Circus and Twins of Evil). And the transfer used here is very good, though not quite flawless. As with many low-budget films of this vintage, the print was probably never intended to be scrutinized in high definition on a 60" plasma screen in the comfort of one's home. Some of the nighttime scenes are a bit grainy, although it's still an improvement over the MGM disc. Day shots and close-ups are mostly excellent. A few of the colorful outfits worn by stars Ingrid Pitt and Madeline Smith really pop out. On the downside, the enhanced resolution does betray the limits of the low-budget effects now and then (e.g., one can easily make on the lines around the makeup appliances used for bite marks). Bonus features: "Femme Fantasique: Resurrecting The Vampire Lovers" is a brief (10 min.) featurette, largely composed of comments from Hammer historians and fans. My personal favorite is a comment that I myself have made many times over the years, that Pitt, despite her looks and talent, was far too old for the role of Carmilla. Pitt also strongly (but let's face it, erroneously) denied the film's sapphic content until her death. There's a 20 minute interview with the charming Madeline Smith, who plays Emma in the film. Her memories are mostly fond, although it's enlightening to learn that she was basically tricked by the producers into disrobing in the film ("those scenes will only appear in the Japanese release". . .ha, welcome to show biz!). There's a nice photo gallery set to music, the film's theatrical trailer, and a radio spot. There are also two holdover features from the DVD: An audio commentary with Pitt, director Roy Ward Baker and screenwriter Tudor Gates, and Pitt reading an excerpt from "Carmilla" (upon which the film was loosely based). If you're already a fan of the film, like I am, you'll appreciate how the extras really enhance the film. If you're a fan of the movie already, or Hammer horror in general, this is certainly a must-have. For those who prefer more modern horror films--more gore, hyperactive editing, hot young stars, etc., this probably isn't for you. If you have the DVD and are considering an upgrade, it's definitely worth it.

Excellent vampire movie with Peter Cushing and the rest of the cast. Quite seductive.

She appears in the intro and gets staked pretty early. Decent movie that, honestly, makes less sense than other Hammer Horror films but honestly remains just as atmospheric. Also, no one knows who the weird laughing dude on the horse outside is, just ignore him.

Great 70s hammer

The 1970 Hammer film, The Vampire Lovers is an atmospheric adaptation of the Sheridan Le Fanu novella about a young lesbian vampire who infiltrates various rich households to seduce the young daughters. Hammer play up the sexual element that was merely covert in the original story but the dream like gothic mood of the film coupled with the direction & reliable performances from a good cast, including Ingrid Pitt as the seductive vampire & the great Peter Cushing prevent this being a dated exploitation piece. The sexual aspect of the film would influence Hammer's future filmmaking as the company desperately tried to hold onto it's audience throughout the 1970's & fight off competition from the emerging US horror market. The blu ray print is excellent with the requisite grain that should be part of any genuine film print of the time. Sharpness is spot on and colour is good if not spectacular...the film was never rich in saturated colour. The sound quality is well balanced and pleasing. This release is a significant improvement on all previous versions, including the US restored DVD of some years ago and corrects the poor sound of the recently released Australian blu ray......... just don't judge the disc by modern film quality standards. This is the full unedited 91min original cut of the film ( the running time on the sleeve mistakenly states 88 mins). The extras are interesting and informative and add the final touch of class to this important Hammer horror. If you're tastes are governed purely by modern horror, then this will probably not be of interest but if you're looking for an atmospheric slow burner with that all important air of quality that was the hallmark of Hammer Films then this is highly recommended.

The full-frontal shot of Carmilla getting out of the tub is cut, a quick close-up of Madeline in it's place. Thought this was going to be fixed by the time I bought this, but it seems no one cares, so I might as well not. I take that back. I do care.

I love a Scream Factory/Shout Factory release!! And this includes a lot of yummy extras. As a film collector, the slipcover inclusion was sublime! The Vampire Lovers is so wild! lol The tonal shifts, the plot (or sometimes lack thereof), the performances, it's camp, it's horror, it's weird, it works! Vampirism presented here is intoxicating, tragic, romantic, and manipulative. As an adaptation it definitely makes some changes from the original source material but I still found it the most faithful. Was a bit annoying seeing the man clad in black throughout though. Also, fun recognizing certain excerpts play out as scenes. Peter Cushing definitely gives the strongest performance, although he's not frequently present onscreen. Ingrid Pitt absolutely embodies the title role. A great time to be had, and if you love Hammer Horror Productions this is a must have item!