Vampyres (1974)

Director:

José Ramón Larraz

Writers:

D. Daubeney (writer)
Thomas Owen (story)

Release Date:

January 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

They shared the pleasures of the flesh, and the horrors of the grave!

Plot:

A lesbian vampire couple waylay and abduct various passer-byes, both male and female, to hold them captive at their rural manor in the English countryside in order to kill and feed on them to satisfy their insatiable thirst for blood.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Vampire | Lesbian | Lesbian Vampire | Hitchhiking

Cast

Marianne Morris	...	Fran
Anulka Dziubinska	...	Miriam (as Anulka)
Murray Brown	...	Ted
Brian Deacon	...	John
Sally Faulkner	...	Harriet
Michael Byrne	...	Playboy
Karl Lanchbury	...	Rupert
Margaret Heald	...	Receptionist
Gerald Case	...	Estate Agent
Bessie Love	...	American Lady
Elliott Sullivan	...	American Man

Also Known As:

Blood Hunger
Daughters of Dracula (USA) (reissue title)
Satan's Daughters
Vampyres, Daughters of Dracula
Vampyres: Daughters of Darkness (USA)

Runtime:

87 min | Australia:92 min | France:81 min | Portugal:88 min | UK:84 min (heavily cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:X (original rating) | Australia:R (DVD rating) (2007) | Portugal:M/18 | UK:18 (video rating) (1989) (cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (2003) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R (cut)

Filming Locations:

Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Lurco Films

Trivia:

Rumors abound about a missing scene in which Fran and Miriam are seen inside the caravan of John and Harriet. This rumor is borne out by production stills and a vague recollection by producer Brian Smedley-Aston that it was, indeed, shot.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fear in the Dark (1991) (TV)

A 1970s erotic vampire classic. If you enjoy Jess Franco and Jean Rollin you will LOVE it!

If you like 1970s erotic vampire movies then you will LOVE Jose Larraz's 'Vampyres'! It's as good as the best Jess Franco or Jean Rollin movies in this genre. It's very low budget (on the DVD commentary track producer Brian Smedley-Aston claims it was only around 80,000 pounds, and he should know, he mortgaged his house to pay for it when the financing fell through!), but looks great, especially the new print on the disc I watched. Like Franco and Rollin Larraz isn't all that interested in plot as such, more atmosphere and eroticism, and this movie has it in spades. The gorgeous Marianne Morris (brunette) and Anulka (blonde) play a couple of very hot vampires who between seducing men and draining their blood, share a passionate relationship. There's plenty of nudity, especially from the stunning Morris, and some very erotic scenes, though Larraz was constrained by the British censorship of the day. There's also quite a lot of blood, and the sex/violence combo makes it quite special. The DVD commentary is highly recommended, even if you're familiar with the movie. Larraz's English is shaky but he is absolutely hilarious! After commenting that the version of the movie he owns is heavily cut ("the Vatican version" he jokingly calls it) he gasps with glee at some of the racier scenes, and gets particularly animated when Anulka's pubes are briefly seen on screen. I'm very glad he enjoys his own movie as much as I did. 'The Vampire Lovers', 'Fascination', 'Vampyros Lesbos' are all outstanding examples of 1970s vampire sexploitation. Add 'Vampyres' to that list!