Fangs of the Living Dead (1969)

A beautiful virgin inherits a castle, but when she arrives at it, she finds that the inhabitants include a strange nobleman and a bevy of beautiful women she suspects may be vampires.

Director:

Amando de Ossorio

Writers:

Amando de Ossorio (screenplay), Amando de Ossorio (story)

Stars:

Anita Ekberg, Gianni Medici, Diana Lorys

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anita Ekberg	...	Malenka / Sylvia Morel
Gianni Medici	...	Dr. Piero Luciani (as John Hamilton)
Diana Lorys	...	Bertha Zemis
Rosanna Yanni	...	Freya Zemis
César Benet	...	Max (as Guy Roberts)
Carlos Casaravilla	...	Dr. Horbinger
Fernando Bilbao	...	Vladis the Coachman
Paul Muller	...	Dr. Albert
Adriana Santucci	...	The Count's Maid
Aurelia Treviño	...	Village Woman
Juanita Ramírez	...	Brugard the Barmaid
Adriana Ambesi	...	Blinka (as Audrey Ambert)
Julián Ugarte	...	Uncle / Count Walbrooke
Keith Kendal	...	Man

Storyline

A beautiful virgin inherits a castle, but when she arrives at it, she finds that the inhabitants include a strange nobleman and a bevy of beautiful women she suspects may be vampires.

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Plot Keywords:

female vampire | sex horror | sex scene | psychotronic film | vampire | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Spain Italy

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

18 May 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fangs of the Living Dead

Filming Locations:

La Alberca, Salamanca, Castilla y León, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cobra Films, Felix Cinematografica, Tritón P.C.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min (Scream Factory Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical score by Carlo Savina (later the music director of films such as The Godfather and Amarcord) was reused in the 1971 low-budget horror film La notte dei dannati.

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Goofs

As Sylvia reads the dates of birth and death from the crypt, she says "1790-1840" although the stone reads 1768-1840.

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Quotes

Malenka: You mean to tell me that the ancestors are still alive?
Uncle: Not exactly.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER: There are two different versions of the film's ending. One concludes with the vampirism being explained as a hoax, but the Uncle disintegrates instantly just like a real vampire would. The other version of the film ends with everyone leaving the castle happily, while Max suddenly turns into a real vampire and chases one of the ladies.

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Connections

Referenced in Fright Show (1985)

User Reviews

Several versions exist, all marvelous.

There are at least three prints of this film running loose these days ... Readers should NOT let the negative nellies dissuade them from seeking this film out -- it is a marvelous little bit of Eurotrash from one of the genre's finest directors when he was just flexing his muscles.

Most literature I have encountered on MALENKA agree that Ossorio's main inspriration was THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS aka DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, but he injected the film with a decidedly Medeterranian air that caught on: In many circles, it is considered classic must-have required viewing at the Academy, Mr Spock kind of stuff.

BUT, you need to select your home viewing version carefully -- of the three most common forms that exist, the most familiar to us in America is a 75 - 80m "public domain" print that used to run on TV a lot, with the vampire chasing ending in place ... we have all seen it at one time or another. Then there is a second 96 - 98 minute European cut exported from Holland in the late 1980's -- it contains some additional "scientific" scenes and other dialogue, but NOT the gag ending with the vampire chasing Rosanna Yanni. The recommended version is actually out on DVD right now at places like Amazon under the name FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD and released by a smallish company called Retromedia who "restored" a widescreen uncut British print for their DVD; uncut meaning that some of the slower scenes trimmed from the 80m public domain print are still in place.

What makes their DVD really come to life, though, is the care that went into making the print look good again. And after so many years of dingy, sepia rotted TV prints you will be shocked at what a beautiful, HARMLESS and fun movie this is -- I'd rather watch MALENKA with my eyes held open by toothpicks than ever have to sit through garbage like INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, DRACULA 2000 or FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA PRESENTS BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA: A FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA FILM ever again. Gawd ...