Crypt of the Vampire (1964)
"La cripta e l'incubo" (original title)

Count Karnstein sends for a doctor to help his sick daughter Laura. Her nurse believes she is possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor;Carmilla. A young woman becomes intrigued by the ... See full summary »

Director:

Camillo Mastrocinque

Writers:

Tonino Valerii (story), Ernesto Gastaldi (story),

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Adriana Ambesi, Ursula Davis

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christopher Lee	...	Count Ludwig Karnstein
Adriana Ambesi	...	Laura Karnstein (as Audry Amber)
Ursula Davis	...	Ljuba
José Campos	...	Friedrich Klauss
Véra Valmont	...	Annette (as Vera Valmont)
A. Midlin	...	Hunchback (as Angel Midlin)
Carla Calò	...	Ljuba's Mother (as Cicely Clayton)
Nela Conjiu	...	Rowena
José Villasante	...	Cedric the Butler
José Cortés	...	Man (as Bill Curtis)
James Brightman	...	Man

Storyline

Count Karnstein sends for a doctor to help his sick daughter Laura. Her nurse believes she is possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor;Carmilla. A young woman becomes intrigued by the mysterious deaths surrounding Laura after a carriage accident outside the castle forces her to stay. They become close friends until Laura becomes convinced the spirit of Carmilla is forcing her to kill.

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Plot Keywords:

castle | crypt | nightmare | lesbian subtext | teenage girl | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

Italy Spain

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

27 May 1964 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Terror in the Crypt

Filming Locations:

Balsorano Castle, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 4,915,571 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

E.I. Associates Producers, Hispamer Films, Alta Vista

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Lyuba: It's so beautiful here. Perhaps nature has purposely set the stage and is waiting for the actors to enter. But who knows if the play is farce ... or tragedy. This is a spot where one could come for pleasure ... or for death.

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Connections

Version of Blood and Roses (1960)

User Reviews

Not great Gothic horror

Terror in the Crypt certainly seems like a great film on paper - it's stemmed from the classic novel "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu and the screenplay is by none other than Ernesto Gastaldi; the man responsible for a number of great Giallo films in the seventies. Adding to the writing credits is the fact that the film stars the great Christopher Lee; but unfortunately the pacing is far too slow and the film is more 'Castle of the Living Dead' than 'Black Sunday'. Anyone that has seen one of the numerous films based on the La Fanu novel will probably know what this film will be about. Count Karnstein comes to believe that his daughter Laura has become possessed by the spirit of the dead ancestor Carmilla and sends for a doctor to help her. However, this does not stop the daughter from being influenced by Carmilla. The film does well on the atmosphere front and director Camillo Mastrocinque delivers a great setting for the film to take place in with a lavish Gothic castle. However, there's just not enough going on to keep the film interesting for the duration and unfortunately despite the positives; the film is not very easy to follow for this reason. Perhaps fans of Gothic horror will find something to like here; but while I consider myself just that, unfortunately I didn't.