The Vampire Lovers (1970)

Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich a remote area of late 18th century Gemany.

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writers:

Sheridan Le Fanu (story), Harry Fine (adaptation),

Stars:

Ingrid Pitt, George Cole, Kate O'Mara

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ingrid Pitt	...	Marcilla / Carmilla / Mircalla Karnstein
George Cole	...	Roger Morton
Kate O'Mara	...	The Governess (Mme. Perrodot)
Peter Cushing	...	General von Spielsdorf
Ferdy Mayne	...	Doctor
Douglas Wilmer	...	Baron Joachim von Hartog
Madeline Smith	...	Emma Morton
Dawn Addams	...	The Countess
Jon Finch	...	Carl Ebhardt
Pippa Steel	...	Laura (as Pippa Steele)
Kirsten Lindholm	...	1st Vampire (as Kirsten Betts)
Janet Key	...	Gretchin
Harvey Hall	...	Renton
John Forbes-Robertson	...	Man in Black
Charles Farrell	...	Landlord

Storyline

The Countess is called away to tend a sick friend and imposes on the General to accept her daughter Marcilla as a houseguest. Some of the villagers begin dying, however, and the General's daughter Laura soon gets weak and pale, but Marcilla is there to comfort her. The villagers begin whispering about vampires as Marcilla finds another family on which to impose herself. The pattern repeats as Emma gets ill, but the General cannot rest, and seeks the advice of Baron Hartog, who once dealt a decisive blow against a family of vampires. Well, almost.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | general | daughter | villager | female vampire | 

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Taglines:

An erotic nightmare of tormented lusts that throb in headless, undead bodies!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

22 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vampyren - en erotisk mardröm

Filming Locations:

Associated British Picture Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Hammer Film Productions, Fantale Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Carreras rejected a suggestion that Bond girl Shirley Eaton play the lead on the grounds that she was too old. Ingrid Pitt, actually older than Eaton, was eventually cast.

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Goofs

The fence around what looks like a tennis court in front of the mansion is chain link fencing.

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Quotes

Carl Ebhardt: It's over! It's over!

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Connections

Version of Nightmare Classics: Carmilla (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Whistle Stop Polka"
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauß
Arranged by Harry Robertson

User Reviews

Who wouldn't love these vampires???

Where would the horror field be if it weren't for the legendary Hammer Studios? With their constant creativity and new variations on the general topic of vampirism they delivered some of the most important genre-films ever. Roy Ward Baker's film the Vampire Lovers is one of the most essential movies Hammer ever released and it meant a landmark turning point for the sub-genre of bloodsuckers. Due to THIS film, vampirism afterwards always got immediately associated with eroticism and lust. The Vampire Lovers influenced notorious directors like Jess Franco (Vampyros Lesbos, Les Avaleuses) or Jean Rollin (Lips of Blood, The Living Dead Girl) who practically made an entire career out of lesbian vampire movies. But this is the real thing! A stunning screenplay, based on a classic tale by Sheridan Le Fanu, solid acting performances and an atmospheric – almost dreamlike – photography. Ingrid Pitt plays the best, most memorable role of her career as the gypsy vampire Carmilla. Her sensual character seduces attractive young girls at the homes of prominent men where she's at guest and turns them into weak, lifeless slaves. The worried men have to uncover the origin of this vampire wench in order to destroy her forever.

'The Vampire Lovers' offers a nearly perfect combination of atmosphere, beauty and tension. Mostly thanks to the female cast led by Ingrid Pitt, this is the most bewitching horror tale Hammer ever told. The ravishing naked bodies of Pitt, Madeline Smith (Theathre of Blood) and Kate O'Mara (Horror of Frankenstein) will give this film a spot in your memory forevermore. And that's not a sexist remark; it just needs to be said. Other than the charismatic female appearances, this production also depends a lot on the eerie set pieces and the nightmarishly dark images of graveyards, ruins and castles. Overall, a splendid horror film and a must see for all fans of Hammer, vampirism or gorgeous beauties.