Lust for a Vampire (1971)

Director:

Jimmy Sangster

Writers:

Tudor Gates (screenplay)
Sheridan Le Fanu (story)

Release Date:

2 September 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

A vampire's lust knows no boundaries...

Plot:

In 1830, forty years to the day since the last manifestation of their dreaded vampirism, the Karnstein...

Plot Keywords:

Throat Slitting | Hammer Horror | Resurrection | Gothic Horror | Lesbianism

Cast

Ralph Bates	...	Giles Barton
Barbara Jefford	...	Countess Herritzen
Suzanna Leigh	...	Janet Playfair
Michael Johnson	...	Richard Lestrange
Yutte Stensgaard	...	Mircalla / Carmilla Karnstein
Helen Christie	...	Miss Simpson
Pippa Steel	...	Susan Pelley
David Healy	...	Raymond Pelley
Harvey Hall	...	Inspector Heinrich
Mike Raven	...	Count Karnstein
Michael Brennan	...	Landlord
Jack Melford	...	Bishop
Christopher Cunningham	...	Coachman
Judy Matheson	...	Amanda
Christopher Neame	...	Hans
Erik Chitty	...	Prof. Herz (as Eric Chitty)
Caryl Little	...	Isabel
Jonathan Cecil	...	Biggs
Kirsten Lindholm	...	Peasant Girl
Luan Peters	...	Trudi
Nick Brimble	...	First Villager
David Richardson	...	Second Villager
Vivienne Chandler	...	Schoolgirl
Erica Beale	...	Schoolgirl
Mel Churcher	...	Schoolgirl (as Melinda Churcher)
Melita Clarke	...	Schoolgirl
Jackie Leapman	...	Schoolgirl
Sue Longhurst	...	Schoolgirl
Patricia Warner	...	Schoolgirl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Valentine Dyall	...	Count Karnstein (voice) (uncredited)
Christine Smith	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)

Directed by
Jimmy Sangster

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Tudor Gates		screenplay
Sheridan Le Fanu		story "Carmilla" (as J. Sheridan Le Fanu)

Produced by
Harry Fine	....	producer
Michael Style	....	producer

Original Music by
Harry Robertson		(as Harry Robinson)

Cinematography by
David Muir		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Spencer Reeve

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Makeup Department
George Blackler	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Tom Sachs	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Bracknell	....	assistant director
Terry Pearce	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill Greene	....	construction manager
Wally Hockings	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Len Abbott	....	dubbing mixer
Ron Barron	....	sound recordist
Tony Lumkin	....	recording director
Terry Poulton	....	sound editor
Len Shilton	....	dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Chic Anstiss	....	camera operator (as R. Anstiss)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Nightingale	....	wardrobe mistress

Music Department
Philip Martell	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Betty Harley	....	continuity
Babbie McManus	....	choreographer
Pearl Tipaldi	....	hairdressing supervisor
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• Anglo-EMI Film Distributors (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• American Continental Films Inc. (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1971) (Canada) (theatrical)
• MGM-EMI (1971) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)
• Talma Filmes (1974) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Thorn EMI Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• EMI Film Productions  copyright holder
• Levitt-Pickman  releasing agency: USA

Also Known As:

"Love for a Vampire" - USA (bowdlerized title)
"To Love a Vampire" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

95 min | USA:91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | UK:18 (video rating) (1990) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Ralph Bates was cast at very short notice.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Towards the end, there is a shot from the top of a carriage bursting out the castle gates. The entire camera crew is visible for several seconds in front of the cart.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Vampire Circus (1972)

Soundtrack:

Strange Love

a sweet, seemingly innocent European schoolgirl turns out to be a deadly vampire

Just when the Hammer Christopher Lee Dracula franchise began to run out of steam in the late sixties, the company revved up its product by turning to Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (written before Bram Stoker penned Dracula, by the way, and a big influence on that better known book) and filming several versions of the novel. The other most interesting one is Vampire Lovers, which keeps far closer to the plot of the book and has a more sustained sense of mood and atmosphere, but ultimately is undone by an actress who is far too old to be believable as the Lolita with fangs that Le Fanu imagined long before anyone had ever heard of Vladimir Nabokov. Lust is admittedly shaky in terms of script, and the ambiance is on again off again (but wow is it terrific when it's on). What makes this click with so many horror buffs, in particularly those who love lesbian vampire films, is the one-time star Yvette Stensgard, a gorgeous Scandanavian child-woman who looks absolutely innocent (particularly when her eyes fetchingly cross), even the moment before she rips open the neck of her next victim. Lots of nudity, with nothing but blood covering her nubile body. Carmilla Karnstein is bisexual, seducing both her lovely young roommates at the all girl's academy and her teacher, a Byronic British romantic who combines elements of Shelley, Byron, and Le Fanu. A genuine cult following has formed around this film because of Stensgard's devastating charisma, which would never be properly employed again, by Hammer or any other company. (Hammer discarded its female star creations as quickly as it stuck with its male stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.) Many jerks complain about a dumb song called "Strange Love" that's indifferently imposed on one sequence. Morons: turn down the volume and enjoy the two gorgeous nymphettes as they swim in the moonlight, adoringly cuddle one another, and then . . . the kiss of death.