The Vampire Lovers

SteveCalvert UK Review

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker

The Vampire Lovers is a Hammer horror film, made in 1970, and based on the short story "Carmilla", written in 1872 by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. The story is set in 19th century Styria and the opening sequences of the film have plenty of spooky-looking, drifting fog and show vampire hunter Baron Hartog beheading a beautiful female vampire who is part of the evil Karnstein family who were responsible for the death of his sister. Although the Baron does his best to destroy the entire family there is one grave that he cannot find. That of a young woman named Mircalla.

Mircalla (Ingrid Pitt) is not opposed to taking male victims but her tastes run more towards members of her own sex and the first time the viewer sees her is when she arrives at a party being held at the home of General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing). She arrives with a Countess who introduces her to the General as her daughter, Marcilla.

Marcilla is an attractive girl and as soon as she arrives a young man whisks her onto the dance floor, while all the other men in the room look on in envy and await their turn. Only one man seems to show no interest in her. His name is Carl and he has eyes only for von Spielsdorf's daughter, Laura. Carl isn't the only one who is intereseted in Laura  though, Marcilla can't keep her eyes off her either.While Marcilla is dancing von Spielsdorfis busy waltzing with the Countess. They have just finished their first dance when a rather anaemic-looking man arrives and informs the Countess that a dear friend of hers has just died.  The Countess apologises to von Spielsdorf and tells him she must leave. It is a long journey, she will have to ride all through the night, and she asks him if he will take care of Marcilla in her absence. The perfect gentleman and perfect host von Spielsdorf says it would be his pleasure; Marcilla will be good company for Laura. No good deed goes unpunished though, and his kindly gesture costs him the life of his daughter.Marcilla disappears after Lucy's death, only to appear again, a few miles away, but calling herself Carmilla. Von Spielsdorf's friend, Mr Morton (George Cole), is out riding with his daughter, Emma, when they see a horse-driven carriage nearly overturn. Morton stops to see if he can be of assistance and helps a lady out of the carriage. The lady, who bears a suspicious resemlence to the Countess, claims that her brother is dying. She is rushing to be with him and so must sadly decline Morton's offer of hospitality. Her niece, Carmilla, however, has been badly shocked by the incident, so when Morton suggests Carmilla stay with him—his daughter would be grateful for the company—his offer is accepted, Carmilla stays behind, and it is not long before Emma Morton begins to develop similar symptoms to those suffered by Laura von Spielsdorf.

The Vampire Lovers is quite a good film, but there are a couple of loose ends to the story. For instance, and it is never explained whether the Countess is also a vampire. or the nature of her relationship with Carmilla? What became of her is just as mysterious because she is never seen again after she leaves Carmilla in the care of Mr Morton. This is excusable though, because Le Fanu's original story also leaves these questions unanswered.The man who first turned up at von Spielsdorf's party, bringing bad news to the Countess, turns up several times throughout the film and he is definitely a vampire, and pretty scary-looking, but his relationship is to Carmilla is also a mystery. His presence certainly adds a few extra chills to the film.

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The Vampire Lovers was the first film in Hammer's Karnstein Trilogy. The other two films in the trilogy areLust for a Vampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1972). All three films share a lesbian theme and were considered quite daring in their time, by modern standards they are pretty tame though, and should not offend too many viewers. The Vampire Lovershas received a mixed critical response, but the film has become a cult favorite and many people consider it to be a horror classic

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The Vampire Lovers (August 18/03)

There's not much in The Vampire Lovers worth recommending, especially for those that don't particularly think that vampires are all that fascinating. Most films about the blood-sucking undead are able to remain entertaining mostly because they're willing to throw in engaging characters and an intriguing plot. Unfortunately, The Vampire Lovers contains neither of those elements.

The story revolves around a vampire named Mircalla (Ingrid Pitt), who seems to spend all her time assuming the identities of her victims. For whatever reason, Mircalla's not comfortable just killing folks at random; no, she takes her time and becomes quite friendly with her soon-to-be meal. After selecting a young woman that appeals to her (why she chooses who she does is never made entirely clear), Mircalla takes the time and effort to get said victim to trust in her - to the point where the two practically become lovers. Soon after, Mircalla kills the woman, takes her identity, and moves on to the next village.

It's possible that The Vampire Lovers would've worked better as a short, because there's clearly not enough material here to sustain a 90-minute movie. The film never passes beyond its initial premise, featuring Mircalla's transient existence, turning it into an almost excruciating experience. Far too many sequences feature characters talking about inconsequential things; there's no storyline here, so the dialogue is generally limited to non-expository matters. Worse of all, though, Mircalla proves to be a terminally dull character. The script never allows her to do a single thing that's even remotely intriguing; it's as if the mere fact that she's a lesbian is supposed to be enough to keep us interested (which just might be true for certain viewers).

This being a Hammer production, however, it's the visual look of the film that proves to be its only worthwhile aspect. Sets are shrouded in fog and the interiors of the various castles are genuinely impressive. But really, that's just not enough to prevent The Vampire Lovers from becoming an overlong bore.

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