Hammer Films, 1970

starring: Ingrid Pitt, Jon Finch, Madeline Smith, and Peter Cushing

directed by: Roy Ward Baker

the plot: In 19th century Styria, a mysterious woman leaves her daughter Marcilla (Pitt) in the care of General von Spielsdorf (Cushing). Marcilla is soon bosom pals with the general’s daughter, Laura. Laura soon suffers nightmares that she is being attacked, and her health deteriorates until she dies. Later, Marcilla reappears at the estate of Mr. Morton as Carmilla, where she seduces Morton’s daughter Emma (Smith). Emma, too, begins suffering nightmares and her breasts show wounds. Emma’s governess, Mme. Perradot, also falls for Carmilla’s erotic overtures and becomes her happy slave. Some suspect vampirism, especially when local girls start turning up dead, drained of blood. During all of this, a weird Man in Black watches events from a distance (he turns up later as a doctor, deeming all the bloodless corpses to be victims of “heart attacks”). The dashing Carl (Finch) comes to Emma’s rescue, but can they stave off Carmilla’s evil? And can General von Spielsdorf dispatch all the vampires to Hell?  

why it’s good: From the late 1950s to the end of the ’70s, British Hammer Films were masters at churning out cheaply-produced but lavish-looking horror films that always turned a profit. “The Vampire Lovers” was the first in the Karnstein Trilogy (inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla”), followed by “Lust for a Vampire” (1971) and “Twins of Evil” (1972). All showcased buxom, lesbian-inclined vampires and geysers of bright blood. The ersatz Victoriana and constant use of Moor Park Manor in Hertfordshire are laughable, but the films manage to pack a creepy punch along with a steady erotic charge, and there is never a moment of wasted screen time (New York magazine described this film as “absolutely yummy” upon its U.S. release). Queen of the Screams Ingrid Pitt, the delectable Madeline Smith and brooding Jon Finch (Polanski’s ‘Macbeth’) are three highlights of a terrific cast.

why you should own it: We will never see the likes of Hammer again—dramatic but campy, low-budget but elegant, sexily bloody but never losing a sense of good taste. The studio’s considerable output had a distinctive feel that was very much a part of post-war, pre-Thatcher England. Hammer always approached its lighthearted material without contempt or cynicism. The sexuality of the films harkens back to a more permissive and innocent age. The MGM Midnite Movies DVD is packaged with Ingrid Pitt in another Hammer classic, “Countess Dracula” (also 1970), and features her audio commentary with director Baker and writer Tudor Gates (his real name), excerpts from “Carmilla” read by Pitt, and the marvelous original theatrical trailer.