Two Orphan Vampires (1997) Les deux orphelines vampires (original title)

Director:

Jean Rollin

Writers:

Jean Rollin (novel)
Jean Rollin (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 July 1997 (France)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A pair of teenage girls, who are blind by day, but when the sun goes down, they roam the streets to quench their thirst for blood. |

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Paris France | Female Nudity | Nun | Vampire

Cast

Alexandra Pic	...	Louise
Isabelle Teboul	...	Henriette
Bernard Charnacé	...	Dr. Dennary
Natalie Perrey	...	School Teacher
Anne Duguël
Nathalie Karsenty
Anissa Berkani-Rohmer	...	Nicole
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Raymond Audemard
Tina Aumont	...	Ghoul
Catherine Day
Camille Delamarre
Véronique Djaouti	...	Venus
Michel Franck
Frederique Haymann
Paulette Jauffre
Melanie Karalli
Brigitte Lahaie
Marie-Laurence
Martin Snaric
Sandrine Thoquet
Karoline Wolfzram

Directed by
Jean Rollin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean Rollin		novel "Les Deux Orphelines Vampires"
Jean Rollin		screenplay

Cinematography by
Norbert Marfaing-Sintes

Film Editing by
Natalie Perrey

Other crew
Carl Morano	....	location services

Production Companies

• Les Films ABC

Distributors

• Avia Films (1996) (France) (theatrical)
• Shriek Show (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Shriek Show (2002) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Les deux orphelines vampires" - France (original title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | France:U

Company:

Les Films ABC

Quotes:

Henriette:Our day for us is blue.
Louise:The light for us is black...
Henriette:...and other people's sun has made us blind...
Louise:...but when it is hidden...
Henriette:...our dream begins.
Louise:They'll never know.
Henriette:The two blind orphans can see at night...
Louise:...like the cat!
Henriette:Like the tiger! Like the beasts!
Louise:Want to go for a walk?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Eurotika!: Vampires and Virgins: The Films of Jean Rollin (#1.1)" (1999)

In the Quiet Night...

Now *this* is the film that separates the men from the boys. If it's in-yer-face sex and horror you want; then I suggest you bugger off now, because Jean Rollin has concocted something very very different... And are you man enough to take it?

Rollin's filmic obsession with vampires- and let's face it, with erotic young women- has never looked this beautiful. Like many films to come out of Europe, this eschews huge action and movement in favour of stillness and thought. It's beautiful to look at, and within the frame Rollin has trapped a whole other world- a vivid, colourful world of rich tones and contrasts, waif-like vampires and deep brown earth. Like some kind of comfortable dream on a hot Summer's evening, 'Two Orphan Vampires' slides from plot point to plot point at its own leisure. At times there's not a lot going on; but there's always something to look at.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the film, is the way in which Rollin makes the tiny budget work to his advantage. We meet a vampire queen, a ghoul and a werewolf. But we are only *told* this is what they are- they appear outwardly 'normal'... and although it's a cliche to say 'our imaginations do the rest', here it is so true. Late in the film there is a scene in which one of the characters explains some of her past; stuff that Hollywood would salivate over. Rollin has her hunched over a table and s-l-o-w-l-y tracks the camera towards her. No fuss, no noise, no elaborately staged flash-backs and set-pieces. Stillness. Quiet. And an otherworldliness that will leave you changed. It's like looking at a painting that illustrates a poem you strongly admire, and finding the artist has got it just 'right'. 'Two Orphan Vampires' is a tribute to the enduring presence of Jean Rollin- a writer/director of integrity, vision and wit.

Steev