Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.
Pippa Steel
- Laura
- (as Pippa Steele)
Kirsten Lindholm
- First Vampire
- (as Kirsten Betts)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIngrid Pitt said in a 2009 column she wrote for Den of Geek that "When it came to the nude scenes, the director asked Madeline Smith and me if we wanted a closed set. It didn't bother me one way or the other because I've always been a bit of an exhibitionist so I had no problem letting people see me naked. Maddy Smith, being very British, was a little more nervous about prancing around in the nude. So we had a closed set. Producers Harry Fine and Michael Style were a bit peeved about this because they were barred from set too. They thought it was producer's perks to watch what was going on. Then one day I was walking to the set wearing just a dressing gown with nothing on underneath when I saw them coming in the opposite direction wearing a doleful look. As I went past them I open my dressing gown and said, Wheeeee! There was a spring in their step as they went on their way."
- GoofsThe story is set in the late 1700s, but at the General's ball the orchestra plays a couple of pieces by Johann Strauss Sr. (1804 - 1849) and Léo Delibes (1836-1891).
- Alternate versionsThe UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to reduce the opening decapitation and shots of Carmilla kissing Emma's breasts, and the same print was featured on video releases. The 2002 ILC DVD saw the cuts fully waived though the print used was an edited US one which missed a brief full frontal shot of Carmilla in a bathtub scene. The 2006 Optimum DVD featured the fully uncut and complete print.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Return of Count Yorga (1971)
Featured review
A Warm Embrace for The Vampire Lovers
I've finally caught up with this erotic supernatural thriller, which is bundled with "Countess Dracula" on an Ingrid Pitt Double Feature DVD. Having heard about this film since I was a boy reading "Castle of Frankenstein" magazine, I was well aware that more adult themes are included in this film than in the average Hammer vampire movie. And it still does have the power to shock today's audiences. I still wonder whether the "lovers" of the title are vampires or the mortals who love them? The question remains unanswered in my mind.
It's not news that "The Vampire Lovers" was based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novella, Carmella, and expounded on his original undercurrents of lesbianism and the eroticism often connected to vampire folklore. So here we have ancient vampire Ingrid Pitt traversing the countryside with her mother/aunt Dawn Addams, who looks near her contemporary in age. Apparently plenty of English Aristocracy easily throw open their doors for the likes of lovely, if somewhat distant, mystery ladies who make themselves right at home. Then beautiful vampire Pitt ingratiates herself with any virginal young lady in the household in order to slowly drain the blood from her body by biting her on the breast.
This is all pretty standard Hammer fare, but now served with a steaming hot portion of female skin and eroticism. Lovely and iconic cult figure Ingrid Pitt dominates the film, and she's fascinating to watch. All the women concerned are lovely to look at, and the proceedings move along at a nice pace, aided by colorful and atmospheric sets and locales.
It's not news that "The Vampire Lovers" was based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novella, Carmella, and expounded on his original undercurrents of lesbianism and the eroticism often connected to vampire folklore. So here we have ancient vampire Ingrid Pitt traversing the countryside with her mother/aunt Dawn Addams, who looks near her contemporary in age. Apparently plenty of English Aristocracy easily throw open their doors for the likes of lovely, if somewhat distant, mystery ladies who make themselves right at home. Then beautiful vampire Pitt ingratiates herself with any virginal young lady in the household in order to slowly drain the blood from her body by biting her on the breast.
This is all pretty standard Hammer fare, but now served with a steaming hot portion of female skin and eroticism. Lovely and iconic cult figure Ingrid Pitt dominates the film, and she's fascinating to watch. All the women concerned are lovely to look at, and the proceedings move along at a nice pace, aided by colorful and atmospheric sets and locales.
- mikhail080
- Jul 13, 2010
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Gruft der Vampire
- Filming locations
- Wall Hall, Hertfordshire, England, UK(Roger Morton's mansion)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content