Twins of Evil (1971)

In nineteenth century middle-Europe, orphaned teenage twins Maria and Frieda go to live with their uncle Gustav Weil, who heads the Brotherhood, a vigilante group trying to stamp out ... See full summary »

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Tudor Gates (screenplay), Sheridan Le Fanu (characters created by)

Stars:

Inigo Jackson, Judy Matheson, Peter Cushing

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Inigo Jackson	...	Woodman
Judy Matheson	...	Woodman's Daughter
Peter Cushing	...	Gustav Weil
Harvey Hall	...	Franz
Alex Scott	...	Hermann
Shelagh Wilcocks	...	Lady in Coach (as Sheelah Wilcox)
Madeleine Collinson	...	Frieda Gellhorn (as Madelaine Collinson)
Mary Collinson	...	Maria Gellhorn
Kathleen Byron	...	Katy Weil
Roy Stewart	...	Joachim
Luan Peters	...	Gerta
Damien Thomas	...	Count Karnstein
Dennis Price	...	Dietrich
Maggie Wright	...	Alexa
Katya Wyeth	...	Countess Mircalla

Storyline

In nineteenth century middle-Europe, orphaned teenage twins Maria and Frieda go to live with their uncle Gustav Weil, who heads the Brotherhood, a vigilante group trying to stamp out vampirism. But their methods are random and misplaced and the only result is a terrorised populace. The real threat lies with Count Karnstein, and although the twins seem outwardly to be identical, Frieda finds herself much more drawn than her sister to the Count's castle dominating the skyline.

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Plot Keywords:

twins | uncle | castle | sister sister relationship | ritual | 

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Taglines:

A new terror-filled X film

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gemini Twins

Filming Locations:

Black Park Country Park, Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rank Organisation, The, Hammer Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Used the same sets as Vampire Circus

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Goofs

When Count Karnstein sacrifices the girl in the altar, in one shot we see her face while the knife hits her heart, and she is looking to her right screaming. On the next shot, while the Count puts the knife out, she is dead and looking to her left.

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Connections

Referenced in The Wicker Man Enigma (2001)

User Reviews

Very humid and accomplished Hammer horror

The delicious Collinson twins, Mary and Madeleine, are reason enough to catch this technically accomplished and subtly erotic horror flick from Hammer; these ladies are sex incarnate and burn up the screen every time they appear.

Twins aside, director John Hough's contribution to English vampire lore is a very tight, exceptionally well directed and staged tale of bloodsucking and rampant desire.

Peter Cushing, as Gustav Weil, is the God-fearing leader of The Brotherhood, a bunch of old witch-finders who stalk pretty girls with bad reputations and confine them to burning crosses. Life gets complicated for old Gustav when his sexy niece (Madeleine Collinson) gets curious about Karnstein castle and its Satan-worshipping occupant (Damien Thomas) and decides to open her legs and heart to the arrogant neck-biter.

TWINS OF EVIL gets everything right. The photography, by Dick Bush, is stunning; the miniature work is never less than believable; the violence is more bloody than usual. The on-screen nudity is more explicit than is typical for a Hammer production and the storyline adequately provides for a generous amount of chills and thrills.

An evocative exploration of the fascinating nature of evil and reasons aplenty to submit to the humid charms of ladies with voracious appetites.

Highly recommended.