Ossessione carnale

Okay...this film's not for everyone. It's filled with 70's-style Euro-trash lesbian and hetero sex, loads of gore, and was shot in three weeks on a rather, ahem...modest budget, by a director who could barely speak English. The script was probably 30 pages long. But there's something afoot here. It's not un-artful, it has flashes of real chills, and it's dripping in subtext, something today's Jason/Freddy/et.al. films sorely lack. The relationship between the male protagonist, who suspects the woman making love to him is a vampire, and the vampire herself, who chooses to slowly drain him of blood rather than kill him outright like her other victims, is bizarrely moving (and kinky) on a few levels. This film won't make you forget, say, the Christopher Lee Hammer films...but it will be hard to forget in and of itself and for its own hard-earned merits.

If you're thinking about working the midnight oil, don't. Showcasing the "femme fatale" category comes this European cult classic, and I'm glad to find it better than most....as long as it's not an action-adventure feature filled with lurid junk. Sex and eroticism aside, the feminist vampire idea actually works and does deliver extensive chills to make it worth the late-night shift. As horrifying as it sounds, it is effectively bloody and doesn't keep you away from the occuring eroticism. While we have the sensation of being in the dark and shivering in our seats, the movie sometimes doesn't know where to turn. A lot of wandering around creates confusion and lessens the full feeling of eeriness. I'm not sure if you've seen the Hammer movies, and neither have I, but there's enough in VAMPYRES to satisfy your blood-curled taste for fear. I'd be dead wrong to hate movies that have loads of sex. This one counts, and because it has the right type of atmosphere. Good for its kind.

Murder, mystery, and a soft-core vampire lesbian scene, all in the first sixty seconds. Alright, I'm just going to say it right here and now, I'm giving this one a ten. Our story begins in a dark, eerie castle in England. Inside, two hot ladies are loving on each other, the party is soon spoiled, by a mysterious figure, who shoots them dead. Now, after the title, we get the idea that it's years later, and for whatever reason, the hot ladies, Fran and Miriam, are now hot vampyres, hot vampyres who hitch rides on the side of the country road, only to lure their victims back to their lair, in the castle, to be loved on, and of course, to be drained of all blood. We got sex scenes, bloody, erotic killings, Pleasant, country scenery, and some more sex scenes, I do believe this is my all-time favorite British Horror film. Vampyres is amazing on many different levels. Our two leading ladies, are portrayed brilliantly by Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska, and the subtle score is positively haunting. In this film, the atmosphere rules, it really feels like you're witnessing a dream, at least on VHS it does, not so much on DVD. That roaring sound, along with the overcast sky is just captivating. Yet another fine example of a low-budget adding to the horror vibe. One of the many problems with todays horror is that they lay everything out for you, leaving nothing for the imagination, that is not the case with Vampyres, if anything, they leave out too much, several occurrences are never explained at all, which, would probably irritate most, but if looked at it the right way, should just keep you on your toes. Ultimately, Vampyres is just beautiful, grim horror for true fans of the genre, which also happens to include some really decent sex scenes. Especially recommended to those who prefer their horror dark and hot. Jess Franco never did anything half this good. 10/10

The American Cinemateque gave a hundred or so lucky viewers the opportunity to watch what is likely to be the only surviving 35MM print of this film. Having seen dozens and dozens of Vampire-themed pictures, VAMPYRES certainly rates as one of the better little-seen titles in the sub-genre. Erotic, atmospheric and genuinely creepy, this film deserves fuller treatment in genre cinema studies. It is certainly the most 'oral' of all vampire pictures (you'll fully comprehend what I mean when you see it). A perfect double bill with the similarly themed (and even better) DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS.

Disjointed narrative traces the frolicking of two nubile female vampires. They waft along English country roads near their castle, dressed in shawls and other flowing garments like Stevie Nicks, and lure passersby back to their mansion with promises of sex. They then bite them and lap up their blood. Yes, true believers, it could happen to you (and no doubt, some of you wish it would).

Probably better than any of the slipshod Jess Franco/Jean Rollin pictures, this one is based on the viewer's desire to see its lead vampire vixens in the nude and rolling around with each other, as well as third parties who don't stay warm for very long. Other than this, there is very little plot at all, save for an unfortunate American couple who happen to be camping on the grounds of the vampyres' estate. Soon enough they are targeted by the vamps, and .... well, SOMETHING happens, and that's the end. Told you there wasn't much plot.

Some startling violence and an overall feel of the old Hammer Films productions make this interesting viewing for those who aren't easily offended by sex and violence. Otherwise, you'd better be into lots of lesbian softcore porn, or you'll be bored stiff.