Post by slayrrr666 on Dec 11, 2006 11:28:03 GMT -5
"The Vampire Lovers" is one of the best of Hammer's underrated efforts.
**SPOILERS**
While enjoying her birthday party, Laura, (Pippa Steele) sees that two new arrivals, Mircalla Karnstein, (Ingrid Pitt) and her cousin (Dawn Adams) show up and cause quite a stir among the guests. When family business interferes, she comes to live with General von Spielsdorf, (Peter Cushing) and his family. Laura is staying with him, and she and Mircalla quickly become fast friends. After a series of terrible nightmares and ill health, she dies, and Mircalla mysteriously disappears. When Spielsdorf's daughter Emma Morton, (Madeline Smith) needs companionship, he allows stranger Carmilla to stay and comfort his daughter. When the same events begin happening again and dead bodies across the countryside are found, the remaining people try to fight the powers that be.
The Good News: I don't understand why the late-era Hammer films were always so heavily attacked, as they were often quite good in their own way. This is one of the best ones from Hammer in a long time, and is one of their best attempts at melding their old-Gothic approach with kinkier elements that were becoming famous at the time. This is still very Gothically-influenced, with the eerie opening a great example. The lone figure gliding effortlessly through a fog-drenched cemetery in a flowing white night-gown is one of the most leering instances of this style in the film, and are in the classic mode. The difference in styles is completed with the addition of the lesbian and violence factors. For once, there's a vampire on screen that actually is quite seductive and breath-taking, and her image is one of unbridled beauty and death at once. The style of film also allows for one of the greatest collection of Hammer women to grace the screen, and it's a powerful lineup. With Pippa Steele, Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Kate O'Mara, and Kirsten Lindholm all getting in on it at some point, the lesbian hijinks are greatly appreciated. When it has a chance, it's sexuality is openly explored, it never feels like childish moments just there for titillation and it is mixed nicely with the old Gothic traditions. It's a nice combination of styles that strikes directly against the hinted-at seductiveness of the earlier ones. The additional violence is also nice to see, and delivers more than the usual blood-fare. There is decapitations galore, as well as neck bites and bloody corpses spread quite liberally throughout. There are also some quite bloody stake to the heart here that are far gorier than what would've been shown before. This is a more than fine combination of the different styles at the time, and shows that they can meld together quite effectively. There is more to this, however, than just the mixing of so many genres. One such scene is a quite striking sequence where a funeral procession goes by, and Mircalla explains in a touching monologue all that she has done, and even though it's just a dialog scene, it still stands out as a powerful sequence from the film. Add this together with a fast pace, traditional Hammer excellence in acting and dialog, and it's a minor classic in their catalog.
The Bad News: Basically, all that's really wrong here are a couple of unexplained questions coming from the film. A mysterious man-in-black appears whenever Mircalla kills some victim, and it's never told who he is. His back-story is a mystery, his controlling powers are left up in the air as to where they came from, and he in general is just a giant question mark. The fact that all he does is appear on horseback is just another clue to his enigma. The fact still remains: Mircalla is said to be the last of the Karnstein clan, yet she comes into contact with both families by a mysterious noblewoman who then disappears from the film when she is taken away. Where does she come from, and what is her contact with Mircalla? It's all left up in the air, and doesn't go explained. The biggest question is Mircalla's intent with the families. They both bear no relation to the family that hilled off the remaining one in the film's prologue, and are basically there just to give the film a set of victims for her in each house. Neither one gets an explanation as to why she's there, other than false accusations of needing to look after her both times. These questions are never explained in the film, and are perhaps the only thing wrong with it.
The Final Verdict: A couple of unexplained questions prevents this from being in the upper-tier of Hammer classics, but it is so close to joining it that it may as well be placed there. The launching pad for Hammer's most underrated period, and a classic example at them technically at the top of their game. Recommended viewing for the Hammer Completists, as well as those wanting to see a top-notch vampire film.
Today's Rating-R: Brief frontal and full Nudity, Violence, several strong and mild sex scenes
