L'orgia notturna dei vampiri

Like so many movies that are dubbed, there is a disjointedness to the dialog that gets in the way sometimes. I'm sure Europeans feel the same way about English language films. When things transpire, it's almost like one character waits for another to say something. It really louses up the suspense. This film begins on a mini-bus and its characters are stunned when a man dies and is put in the back, under a blanket. It gets late and they decide to put off going to their final destination and stop over in a little town. What they don't know is that there is a Vampire subculture living there, who not only feast off the innocent, but give up their own body parts for food if it will lead to more blood for them. There is a mistress of the dark who runs things and makes decisions for them. I won't go through the plot, but there is some humor, some terror, some bad decisions, and a host of pretty scary figures, closing in on innocent victims. It even breaks the movie rule about the killing of a little child. There is some gratuitous imagery, sexual content 70's style, but it's very tame. The movie does make an impression, and is better than many others of its era.

A group of workers is traveling by bus to the town of Bojoni to work for an aristocratic family. The driver has a fulminating heart attack, and the group decides to drive to the near village of Tolnio instead, to spend the night and follow to Bojoni on the next morning. They find nobody in the apparently ghost city, but in the next morning, they meet the hospitable dwellers. Their bus has a problem in the engine, and they have to stay in Tolnio. Sooner they find that they are trapped in a vampire village.

"La Orgía Nocturna de los Vampiros" is a reasonable vampire movie, having also many funny moments. I particularly liked the scenes where meat is served to the hosts; the death of the little girl; the finger in the food of Alma; the vampires chasing the car with Louis and Alma; and the beautiful breasts of Dyanik Zurakowska, with marks of bikini. The conclusion is ridiculous, with Alma and Louis returning to Tolnio immediately after their scary runaway. Unfortunately, the music score of this film is simply awful, dated and not suitable for a horror film. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Orgia Noturna dos Vampiros" ("The Vampire's Night Orgy")

Vampire's Night Orgy is one of a number of erotic vampire movies released in Europe in the early 70's. In fairness, this one isn't especially erotic with little nudity on display, which given the title you could be forgiven for expecting quite a bit. The chief strength of this one is in its atmosphere. In it a group of people wind up at a remote village where they are openly welcomed. It becomes clear quite soon though that there is something sinister about these villagers.

Like I say, it's the creepy atmosphere that works best in this one. The gloomy countryside locations are well used. The remote village and its strange inhabitants is a typical horror staple but it's well done here nevertheless. While this one is promoted as being a vampire flick, it more accurately could be described as a film about nocturnal cannibals with a vampire queen. The latter is a Countess perhaps unsurprisingly. The mix works though and I suppose adds to the cult value of the film. It's a movie that should certainly appeal to Eurotrash devotees and is generally a very solid entry in the cycle of continental vampire films from the period.

Cheeky little number involving a bus load of folks hired for some far off job travelling the Spanish countryside when their bus driver has a heart attack and dies. While stashing his body safely in the overhead compartment, they debate whether to head on to their planned destination or stop for the night at the sinister village that's just mysteriously appeared nearby. Being characters in a horror film, they of course choose the village.

Also, being characters in a horror film, they show no surprise whatsoever when they find the village deserted, but the local hotel's bar stuffed with booze, a roaring fire going, and loads of rooms ready to sleep in. They meet another traveller played by Jack Taylor, from every Spanish film ever made including Ghost Galleon, the hilarious Pieces, and ever Jess Franco film that's escaped to torment the public. He's also non-plussed about the deserted village, but he's tickled pink to find a hole in his hotel bedroom wall that allows him to spy on the pretty girl of the bus party.

After one of the bus party is secretly eaten out in public, screaming in agony while no one notices, everyone else gets up in the morning to find the villagers have returned. Turns out they were holding some sort of rave down at the local cemetery. They also serve the travellers a cooked human leg (donated by a reluctant villager) as they don't have any normal meat. As you have figured out the village is full of vampires and the travellers are all on the menu. Problem is, the travellers haven't figured it out yet.

While not overflowing with gore or nudity (although it has a bit of both), this one is quite well paced for a Spanish horror film and has a nice creepy atmosphere throughout. There's a ghostly kid who hangs out with a travelling kid, the countess who seduces one of the bus party, and the whole thing reminded me a bit of Messiah of Evil, what with the entire town turning up and silently descending on the victims. There's also a bit of humour, what with the vampire with axe having to villagers to 'donate' body parts.

As with most Spanish films, I have no idea if this is cut or not…but it's a good 'un

Ok so there are no orgies, but who cares?

Hey this one isn't bad at all. Bus load of tourists takes a wrong turn and winds up in a town that at first seems un-inhabited but it turns out is filled with cannibalistic creatures who only come out at night. They're not really vampires but attack their victims en-mass and tear them to pieces. They also disable the bus so the stranded tourists can't escape. After all, we wouldn't want 'din-din' to run away, now would we?

Surprisingly, there's not a lot of gore in this considering the theme, but there's enough creepy atmosphere in this setting that it makes it mildly entertaining. The townspeople chasing the car with Jack Taylor and Dyanik Zurakowska reminds me of the chase scene in the recently released DAGON while the "they aren't to be believed" ending is straight out of TWO THOUSAND MANIACS.

You'll have to see all three of them to know what I'm talking about. Still, I recommend this one if you're into 70s Euro horror and want to see some sexy babes in it. Like Helga Line as the local, blood Countess. She was hot.

DVD is ok although the picture quality isn't anything to rave about, plus there are no extras except a trailer.

It's a few steps above anything Jess Franco was putting out at the time. I liked it. Check it out.

6 out of 10