Reviews (24)

A mesmerizing and atypical vampire film
"Daughters of Darkness" (originally titled "La rouge aux lèvres") is a 1971 Belgian-French-West German production directed by Harry Kümel that stars Delphine Seyrig as the Countess Elizabeth (Erzsebet) Bathory (a real historical figure who murdered hundreds of young women in her quest for immortality). In the film, Bathory and her young female companion (Andrea Rau) cross pathes with a young couple, Valerie and Stefan (played by Danielle Ouimet and John Karlen - Willie Loomis from TV's "Dark Shadows") who are honeymooning during the off-season in Europe. At first the couple seem fairly normal, but things quickly sour, as the woman is shown to be emotionally unstable and the man is very violent and turned on by death. Their relationship is also undermined by homosexuality on both sides. There are intimations that Stefan is in thrall to an older man back in England, and Valerie - of course - soon falls under the spell of the ageless and beautiful Countess Bathory. This mesmerizing and hypnotic film makes brilliant use of sound, mood, and color to paint an understatedly savage tableau, and it has a well-deserved cult following. It's probably too slow-moving for the average horror movie fan, however. "Daughters of Darkness" is very self-consciously an "art" film. The carefully constructed images, the nonsensical dialogue, the use of vivid reds and blues, and the extremely deliberate pacing all serve to create a film that - despite a few shockingly strange death scenes - is much closer in spirit to "Last Year at Marienbad" than it is to "The Lost Boys."

Classic
I'm delighted this will be available on DVD. I watched it on VHS a long, long time ago. I'd heard about it in various books on vampire films and haunted every video store I could find to locate a viewing copy. When I finally found it, I watched it with the enthrallment of the very young with the object of an obsession. Based loosely on the story of Elisabet Bathory, this "contempory" tale is of a young newly wed couple who are seduced by a mysterious woman whose interest in them is predatory.

Compared to current movie fare, this is extremely tame with it's allusions to S&M and chic debauchery, but the european elegance of the film will satisfy the die hard vampire film fan who enjoys the older movies that defined the genre in the late 60s and into the 70s. Not as openly sexual as the lush offerings of a Hammer film, it has it's own more subtle erotic charm.

A Bewitching Vampire Tale...
Stefan, a British aristocrat with sadistic tendencies, and the beautiful Valerie, a simple girl, have eloped and are on their way home to break the news to Stefan's mother. However, Stefan is hesitant to bring his wife to see his mother as he delays the trip back to England on purpose by making up stories. The newlyweds decide to stay in an extravagant hotel on the seaside while Stefan attempts to buy some time. Stefan and Valerie are the only guests at the hotel besides the flamboyant Countess Bathory and her seductive secretary since it is off-season. During the stay the Countess Bathory has taken a liking to the couple and begins to seduce them both as she begins setting her wicked plan into action.

Daughters of Darkness is a vampire tale with a malevolently chilly and sexually tense atmosphere that haunts the mind with its subtle approach as Kümel avoids the popular approach of vampires. The vampires do not sleep in coffins nor attack the necks of their victims with sharpened elongated teeth. Instead Kümel disguises the threat of evil behind courteous behavior, alluring charm, and vivid gesticulations that become passionately seductive for the characters in the film. In addition, the mise-en-scene is strongly suggestive and vibrant colors are used in order to enhance the bewitching atmosphere that is viewed by the audience. This leaves the viewer with an uneasy, but artistic cinematic experience that selective audiences will appreciate.

The Pinnacle of Lesbian Vampire Movies
There must be some subliminal message in this movie that I respond to. I have watched it over and over. The Countess is so beautifully evil; she made me fall under her spell. I have heard her described as a "Satanic Auntie Mame". She makes evil so seductive and fun. Even though I have a dark obessesion fop this movie, freinds I have shown it to describe it as boring and slow. (Hang on, talking about it made me get up and put it in the DVD player again). It's not for everyone, at least give it a try.

Ehh, it's okay... 2.5 actually
This film is about a newlywed couple who "honeymoon?" at a fancy palace like hotel in Europe somewhere, alone, and are seduced by a Countess and her sidekick who show up not too long after the married couple arrive. I normally adore art house flicks, but this one has the pacing of a snail. There are only a few "shocking" scenes, and it came long after this viewer had any interest left. I will say this though, over the last 25 minutes of the film the pace quickens and may be considered a "payoff", but like I said, I basically lost interest. Don't believe the hype. If you want an interesting "exploitation" vampire film from the 70's, check out Warhol's Blood For Dracula. Nuff said. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Kind of a mix of Hammer and Jean Rollin
A pair of bisexual women (Marianne Morris and Playboy playmate Anulka) living in a dark, decaying mansion have a craving for blood and sex. Hitchiking in long black cloaks, they lure men home and then take them to bed, slash them with knives, and dump the bodies, making it look like a car wreck. They like one guy so much they keep him around for days and he knows something bad is happening, but he's not sure what. Some people camping nearby also suspect that the women are up to strange things.... The violence is strong even though there's more blood than gore, plenty of sex and nudity, and some very lyrical, beautiful scenes. The ending throws a whole new, darker twist on the proceedings and ties it all together nicely. It has kind of a "Hammer Films" look to it, but the storyline is more along the lines of Jean Rollin. Even though the budget was small, this is a quality-looking film. The DVD looks great and contains a commentary track with producer Brian Smedley-Aston and director Joseph Larraz that's worth listening to - it's informative, and Larraz is hilarious and pulls no punches - ya gotta love the guy, even though he admits he's become a dirty old man (the comment during one of Anulka's nude scenes had me rolling on the floor). :) It's one of the most entertaining commentary tracks I've heard on a DVD, and a quality film besides.

Bosoms and bloodshed, a potent combination!
VAMPYRES (UK 1974): A motorist (Murray Brown) is lured to an isolated country house inhabited by two beautiful young women (Marianne Morris and Anulka) and becomes enmeshed in their free-spirited sexual lifestyle, but his hosts turn out to be vampires with a frenzied thirst for human blood...

Taking its cue from the lesbian vampire cycle initiated by maverick director Jean Rollin in France, and consolidated by the success of Hammer's 'Carmilla' series in the UK, Jose Ramon Larraz' daring shocker VAMPYRES pushed the concept of Adult Horror much further than British censors were prepared to tolerate in 1974, and his film was cut by almost three minutes on its original British release. It isn't difficult to see why! Using its Gothic theme as the pretext for as much nudity, sex and bloodshed as the film's short running time will allow, Larraz (who wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym 'D. Daubeney') uses these commercial elements as mere backdrop to a languid meditation on life, death and the impulses - sexual and otherwise - which affirm the human condition. Shot on location at a picturesque country house during the Autumn of 1973, Harry Waxman's haunting cinematography conjures an atmosphere of grim foreboding, in which the desolate countryside - bleak and beautiful in equal measure - seems to foreshadow a whirlwind of impending horror (Larraz pulled a similar trick earlier the same year with SYMPTOMS, a low-key thriller which is all mood and very little action, until it erupts into a frenzy of violence during the final reel). However, despite its pretensions, VAMPYRES' wafer-thin plot and rough-hewn production values don't really amount to very much, and while the two female protagonists are as charismatic and appealing as could be wished, the male lead (Brown, past his prime at the time of filming) is woefully miscast in a role that should have gone to some beautiful, twentysomething stud. A must-see item for cult movie fans, an amusing curio for everyone else, VAMPYRES is an acquired taste. Watch out for Bessie Love, star of the silent era, in a brief cameo at the end of the movie.

Originally released on DVD by Anchor Bay in incomplete form (29 seconds of carnage were accidentally omitted from one of the climactic sequences), Blue Underground's definitive disc - beautifully presented and packaged - restores all the missing footage to its rightful place. Picture quality is as good as the low-budget film stock will allow, though it's still a little grainy in places, and the mono sound is adequate. Extras include trailers, interviews with Morris and Anulka (both are older and wiser, yet still radiant), and a lively audio commentary with Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston, along with an unexpurgated version of Tim Greaves' much-admired booklet 'Vampyres - A Tribute to the Ultimate in Erotic Horror Cinema', here presented in DVD-ROM format which this writer was unable to access.

NB. Blue Underground's DVD includes an insert which replicates vivid artwork for an Italian release print (OSSESSIONE CARNALE), featuring a prominent Techniscope credit. However, the movie wasn't photographed in any kind of scope format, and viewers are assured the disc's 1.85:1 ratio is correct.

87m 29s
1.85:1 / Anamorphically enhanced
Mono 2.0
Optical mono [theatrical]
No captions or subtitles
All regions

AESTHETIC, SATANIC, INDULGING
YES, THIS IS A FLIM THAT RISES ABOVE THE REST IN THE VOLATILE TIME OF EROTIC VAMPIRE FILMS IN THE EARLY 1970'S. TWO VOLUMPTOUS, BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRES USE THEIR FEMININE TALENTS AND THE AGE OLD ONE NIGHT STAND AS A FACADE TO LURE OVER-ANXIOUS MEN TO THEIR BREATHTAKING, DECREPIT OLD COUNTRY HOME. THE MEN FALL ALL TOO EASILY FOR WHAT THEY THINK WILL BE A SEXUAL RENDEZVOUS WITH TWO STRANGE, DARK WOMEN. AFTER THEY ARE ENTERTAINED, THEY FALL VICTIM TO SAVAGE DEATHS, BLOODLETTING, AND HUMILIATION. THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE AND THE BREATHTAKING OLD HOME CREATES A SUPERIOR AMBIENCE THAT IS CONDUCIVE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE, EROTIC, LURID FILM. THIS FILM WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING NEVER TO RETURN TO REALITY. DARK, EVIL, BEAUTIFUL, IMPERATIVE.

Share Pleasures of the Flesh...and Horrors from the Grave!
Okay, 1974's VAMPYRES admittedly has numerous nude scenes--full frontal female nude scenes, in some cases--that was a prerequisite for the sexploitation horror pouring out of Europe in the 1970s. And yes, the two female players have hourglass figures, ample bosoms, and beautiful faces. However, this British indie film, directed by Spanish auteur José Ramón Larraz, has a cinematic aesthetic that makes it stand out above its contemporaries as a horror film of true quality. Larraz does a fantastic job of directing, working in close conjunction with cinematographer Harry Waxman to ensure that nearly every shot of every scene is a balanced, well-framed image. In keeping with the spooky atmosphere of the moldering English manor house and surrounding grounds used for location shooting, production designer Ken Bridgeman maintains the perfect ambiance throughout. And unlike many other buxom sexploitation actresses of the era, erotic stars Marianne Morris and Anulka (Dziubinska) can actually act, and they do a superb job in making the eponymous characters both scary and sympathetic.

In addition to the outstanding efforts of cast and crew, the tight, well-written script is refreshingly new--even from this vantage point of some thirty years hence. Avoiding the usual vampire clichés, these VAMPYRES are really more like ghosts who have some inexplicable but insatiable desire to feed on the blood of the living. They don't have fangs, they can tolerate moderate sunlight, and instead of resting in musty old caskets, they sleep in a wine cellar during the brightest of the daylight hours. They also can eat, drink liquids other than blood, and seem to genuinely enjoy sex. And they even sometimes have sympathy for their victims, a characteristic that may lead to their ultimate downfall.

The myth of the vampire has always been regarded as sexual in nature, especially the intimacy of the flesh-penetrating bite on the neck. VAMPYRES carries this metaphor to the extreme, with heterosexual vampiric coitus portrayed as an intensely passionate, rigorous event that includes feasting on the blood of the non-vampiric partner. And the eponymous characters in VAMPYRES don't gently suck from two pricks in the neck; in the midst of sexual passion, they tear open their victims and lap up the crimson liquid with ferocious, writhing pleasure.

In short, VAMPYRES is an excellent British erotic horror flick that is superior to most others from its era of origin, and it can even stand up against many straightforward, non-sexploitation horror films. It is well written, well acted, and has high production values throughout--and all this in spite of a low, low budget. Director Larraz and his co-scripters have take an idea that they could play for camp or sheer sexploitation and, instead, deliver a thought-provoking look at indiscriminate and promiscuous sex, physical obsession, and guilt. And on top of that, they still throw in lots of delicious T&A.

The DVD from Blue Underground is a great buy. Not only does it present a widescreen restored director's version of this excellent film--transferred primarily from the original negatives--but it also has lots of cool extras. It offers a feature-commentary track with director José Ramón Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston that is both hilarious--due to Larraz's frank use of English colloquialisms--and informative. And there are also recent interviews with Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska, the film's beautiful stars; a lost scene recreated via production stills; U.S. and European trailers; and more. This is a piece of erotic artistic cinematic history that any serious horror fans will want to add to their collections.

Too slow
Even allowing for the fact that this film is low budget, and from the 1970s, doesn't make up for its monotony. Its mix of sex and cheap blood effects may have seemed avant-garde to some back then, but it sure doesn't cut any edge now. Except for a few thrills at the end, this film is like a long walk to nowhere (in fact, there are too many scenes in this movie of just that - long walks).

It's too bad really, because in the right hands, the story of two vampire seductresses luring passersby to their castle could have been creepy fun.

Not enough story, and bad direction make this a "passerby". Current interviews with the lovely female stars prove to be the most interesting part of this package. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Caress of the Vampire very good movie
This movie is one of the best lesbian soft-core movies I've seen and if like this film then you'll like the rest of Seduction Cinema's movies.

A non-erotic, semi-vampiric non-movie
Not only is this movie amateurishly horrible, it's not even a movie in my book. Actual movies have plots and last longer than 46 minutes. Perhaps this is some type of deconstructionist film, rebelling against the idea of having an actual plot or hiring actors who actually know how to act. As the movie opens, we learn that a dangerous female vampire has come to earth in her spaceship. Two would-be "admirers" in a back alley soon wind up dead and drained of blood (although we don't get to see any of the actual bloodletting). Next we see a young divorcee moving into a new home (with director Bob Gonzo giving himself a completely unnecessary cameo appearance as "the landlord"). I found it quite humorous to see that all of her belongings had no trouble fitting into her little sports car. The vampire and her "close" roommate take an immediate interest in their new neighbor, but they spend most of the time rolling around on the bed together going out of their way to not be very erotic at all. Necks are licked and a few (but certainly not all) pieces of clothing are shed-this is the bulk of your lesbian vampire action right here, and it's barely even R rated activity. Eventually, the new neighbor is exposed to the seemingly hypnotic charms of our alien vampire lady, and that's about it. Two far from competent cops pop up a couple of times searching for the "vampire killer," but their scenes actually slow down a story that is already as sluggish as molasses in January.

There is almost no dialogue in this film, and the few spoken lines we do get are pretty obviously dubbed for some unknown reason. The acting is as wooden as the vampire-killing stakes you might find in other vampire movies (but not in this one). About 90% of this short movie consists of repetitive shots of women caressing each other to the accompaniment of very bad music. The only good thing I can say about this movie is that the vampires' fangs were pretty impressive; it's too bad we didn't get to really see them in action on some poor slob's neck-the bloodletting, like the eroticism, is assumed but never made explicit. The only possible reason you would have for watching this movie is a love of vampirism in all its forms-even then, you will be disappointed. Caress of the Vampire is worth no one's time or money.

Yawn
What a poorly made film. Some bad films are funny albeit unintentionally. Some are so bad, that they reach cult status.

This is not one of those films. This is just something you would give someone to cure them of insomnia.

What a pitty we can't give half stars in reviews, beacuse that's all this deserves.

Oh yes, I got the 'special edition / keep case'

Keeping the case was what I did, so it didn't turn out to be a total waste of money.

Worst Vampire movie ever
I have been collecting Vampire, and Vampire-erotica movies for several years now. It is my missfortune to own this one, it is the worst movie I have ever seen. If you know anyone who was associated with the making of this movie, pleae don't let them use a video camera again.

Greatest movie I seen
I guess it depends on what kind of sex you are in to. The sex scenes are perfectly timed and the plot, well, a four year old could follow it (Not that you should show a four year old this kind of movie.) I found this movie very interesting and very enjoyable. My copy is wearing out due to the amount of times that I've watched it. I sujest, no, I demand that you buy this movie is you like mostly views of womens breasts. I will admit that there are some less than professional parts to the movie as in, the sound is obviously pre-recorded (Hey maybe the actresses couldn't handle walking and talking at the same time) but you must admit that the acting was very convincing... I can't give this masterpiece any other rating accept five stars because I loved every second of it. Great. ... Read more