La última presa del vampiro

Five female dancers, their manager and their bus driver travel around Europe performing in one venue after another while barely making ends meet. One night after a storm blocks the main road, they take a secondary route which leads to a castle belonging to "Count Gabor Kernassy" (Walter Brandi). They are warned to turn around but are reluctant to do so because the manager "Lucas" (Alfredo Rizzo) didn't pay the hotel bill the night before. So the Count puts them up for the night but gives them a strict warning that they are not to leave their bedrooms during the night. Unfortunately, one curious dancer named "Katia" (Maria Giovannini) becomes too curious and dies from an apparent fall from the castle. Things only begin to get even more curious after that. That said, rather than divulge the mysteries that remain I will just say that this is a film more noted for the attractive dancers than anything else. And while Maria Giovannini was certainly sexy, I thought Lyla Rocco (as "Vera") was prettier still. But other than the appearance of the attractive ladies, I thought the film was slow-moving and dull at times. Still, it wasn't a bad vampire film and it's worth a look for those who enjoy movies of this kind from the early 60's.

PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE is a so-so early Italian horror movie that is good enough to hold an average euro-horror film buffs attention. Nice music, great looking (and occasionally, scantilly clad) go-go dancers, and not to mention an oddly unique final death scene.

Overall, a nice addition to any obscure movie collection, that will probably merit more than one viewing.

This film was of interest to me because it was the first horror film that I ever saw. At the time, I was attending college in Newcastle, and one day on leaving college, I passed the Essoldo, Westgate Road which was showing this film. On a whim, I decided to go in and see it. With the X certificate, I was expecting that my blood would be well and truly curdled, but it did not turn out that way. In fact, I found it rather dull. Looking at the DVD today, it all seems rather tame. Perhaps it's interest lies in that for cinemas like the Essoldo with little access to the major new releases, this was the sort of thing that they had to show.

You are lost on a lonely Italian road. A storm is coming up. There is no motel around. You spot a castle. Stay away, you dolt! Sleep in the car. Do not enter the creepy castle.

Alas, our group does not heed the warning and end up in a castle. The owner, Count Gabor Kernassy (Walter Brandi), tries to shoo them away, but there seems to be a connection with one named Vera (Lila Rocco). She even knows where the smokes are kept, even though she has never been there.

Despite warnings, one of the girls (Maria Giovannini) goes wandering and surprise, she's found dead the next day. I guess the story would have ended too soon if they all obeyed the Count.

There was not a lot of blood in this early Italian classic, and there was only a brief flash of nudity. The girls did, however, do a lot of running around in their see-through nighties. I always though castles were cold and damp. I guess this one had central heat.

For true vampire aficionados only.

As was often the case with European horror movies from the 1960's and 1970's this film had many titles but I watched it on DVD as "The Playgirls and the Vampire". Five very attractive showgirls, their annoying manager and driver seek refuge at a castle during a night storm, but as so often happens the old building is resident to a centuries old vampire. And sadly he isn't a very good one, his ultimate demise is rather disappointing too. Hammer were doing this so much better, this is just a cheap imitation. I watched the English language version and the bad dubbing didn't help. On the plus side the five Playgirls are very attractive, we are treated to several scenes in which they are either scantily dressed or in perhaps the film's most notable moment naked. This movie apparently features the first nude on-screen female vampire, we see her breasts though not full frontal. A staking has blood running down her bare leg, quite strong for 1960. The theatrical trailer states for "Adults only" but decades on this is very tame stuff, only recommended for fans of Italian horror.