Les vampires

Paris is plagued by a murder spree. French reporter Pierre LaSalle (Dario Michaelis) is hot on the trail of what he thinks is a vampire killing off young strippers. LaSalle is also being courted to his dismay by his ex-lover, Giselle du Grand (Gianna Maria Canale - Goliath vs the Vampire), granddaughter of the mysterious Duchesse du Grand. Meanwhile, across town at the Institute of Experimental Surgery, the Duchesse is working with professor Julien du Grand (Antoine Balpêtré) to help develop artificial blood. Soon enough, reporter LaSalle gathers enough clues to confirm his crazy theory, and soon learns the truth about the Duchesse, the professor and even Giselle.

This film is the foundation of the short-lived Italian gothic horror sub-genre. Containing much of the elements of the classic American horror films of the 40s (dimly lit corridors, musty dungeons, mad doctors, rotting skeletons etc), this atmospheric production didn't do well in Italy. Only years later, after the success of the Hammer Studios (England) gothic horror revival, was this movie rediscovered and appreciated for what it was. Director of photography Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Lisa and the Devil) gives a great look to this Elisabeth Bathory-inspired tale, using low angle shots and highly contrasted lighting. Bava also took over direction when Freda left the set halfway through production. Look for a young Paul Müller (Nightmare Castle, Bram Stoker's Count Dracula) as the hired killer.

As far as I am concerned, Mario Bava is simply THE greatest Horror director who ever lived, and there are several reasons why. No other director has ever been capable of creating a haunting yet beautiful, dream-like atmosphere in the brilliant manner that Bava was, there is no other Horror director whose repertoire includes the most genuine masterpieces. The supreme master of Gothic Horror and undisputed inventor or the Ialian Giallo, Bava single-handedly launched the Italian Horror boom which resulted in Italy becoming the undisputed country Nr.1 in the Horror world. Italian Horror cinema found real international recognition after Bava's incomparable Gothic masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demoni" (aka. "Black Sunday"), probably my choice for THE greatest Horror film of all-time. However, the milestone that launched the raise of Horror made in Italy in 1956 is this stylish and extremely elegant gem "I Vampiri". Horror films had been banned in Italy by the Fascist regime, and it was not until the mid fifties that this ban was withdrawn. The first post-WW2 Italian Horror film was directed by Riccardo Freda (another more than great director), Mario Bava was the cinematographer. When director Freda backed out from the project because he couldn't finish it in time, Bava jumped in and finished the film (even though he remained uncredited as a director). And what an accomplishment it is! The plot does not really revolve around traditional vampires as they would appear in other contemporary Horror milestones, such as the British Hammer classic "Dracula" of 1958.

This film has another morbid formula that would become one of the most popular themes in European Gothic Horror of the early 60s. A murderer is on the loose in Paris, and since the bodies of his young female victims lack even a drop of blood in their bodies, he has been nicknamed 'The Vampire'. - I shall not give away more of the plot, only that it mixes elements of mad science with the supernatural. The story is wonderfully morbid and suspenseful, however, it is arguably the cinematographic style that is the most pioneering element of this great film. The budget was actually quite low, but Bava's brilliant sense for lighting, and especially, for the dark, as well as incredibly uncanny settings create the beautifully eerie atmosphere that we so love in Bava's later films. Especially the wonderfully dark castle is a haunting and beautiful setting for such a fascinating story. The performances are also very good, the greatest coming from director Riccardo Freda's wife Gianna Maria Carnale in a mysterious role. Prolific Eurohorror/Exploitation Paul Muller began his streak of demented characters with this milestone. Overall, "I Vampiri" is not Bava's best Gothic Horror film - "La Maschera Del Demonio" is, without doubt, and other masterpieces, such as "Operazione Paura" (aka. "Kill Baby Kill", 1966), "I Tre Volti Della Paura" (aka. "Black Sabbath", 1963) or "La Frusta E Il Corpo" (aka. "The Whip And The Body", 1963) also easily surpass it. However, it was this milestone that started Italian Horror. And what an elegant, haunting and fascinating milestone it is! An absolute must for every Bava fan, Horror-buff or lover of great cinema in general!

When four young women are found in Paris with the blood completely drained, the ambitious and snoopy journalist Pierre Lantin (Dario Michaelis) decides to investigate the cases of the killer known as The Vampire. Inspector Chantal (Carlo D'Angelo) does not approve Lantin´s behavior. Soon Pierre suspects that family Du Grand, who lives in an ancient castle, may be involved with the murders but Inspector Chantal does not give support to his investigations. Meanwhile Pierre avoids the harassment of Giselle du Grand (Gianna Maria Canale), who is the niece of the wealthy matriarch of the family Margherita du Grand.

"I vampire" is a great Italian horror film with a story of the search for the eternal youth. The film was directed by Riccardo Freda, who left the production that was concluded by Mario Bava (uncredited). The beauty of Gianna Maria Canale is impressive more than sixty years later. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Vampiros" ("The Vampires")

This one mainly works because of the amazing set direction and Gothic spaces. As it gets going it feels like a typical 1940s style murder mystery, with young women having gone missing, but hardly a horror movie at all. But when another girl disappears the search leads to an empty apartment building and then to the castle of a certain Countess du Grand, who happens to be enamored of the lead detective on the case. Though the castle appears to be of evil repute, the countess attracts guests to a ball, and the affections of another reporter. She is a mysterious figure, living in adulation of a portrait of the reporter's father, playing antique record players. The castle sets are stunning productions, drawing one into the horror that sustains her beauty (a storyline explored further in Eyes Without A Face, The Awful Dr Orloff, The Faceless Monster, Mill of the Stone Woman and Countess Dracula) . The movie literally gets gobbled up by the Gothic atmosphere of the castle, with its incredible gargoyles, elaborately Gothic crypt, secret passages, baroque cobwebs, pillars marked with demonic images, and a Sleeping Beauty tangle of vines on the grounds. The reliance on scenery alone to communicate a descent into a sadistic unconscious reminds one of Cocteaus Beauty and the Beast though the strategy was tried too in 40s Hollywood. When at last the mystery is discovered, here too the special effects are quite well done. Mario Bava was involved in the photography, just testing his fogbound vision of Gothic mystery, and it shows. After starting out all cops and robbers, this one ends up with a completely satisfying expression of pure demented horror.

As much as Italy is revered as a bastion of horror cinema, it wasn't always so; while there are always exceptions, the 50s weren't generally known for high quality genre fare. Entering the world on the cusp of Italy's renown, 1957's 'I vampiri' doesn't necessarily fall on the higher end of the spectrum, and if it does, then only just so. It's well made overall, including outstanding, detailed art direction, sharp and admirable cinematography, and - usually less important in the grand scheme of things, but of especial significance here - fantastic costume design, hair, and makeup. I also think that between Riccardo Freda and Mario Bava, the direction is firm and commendable. The film-making and craftsmanship is broadly superb. I am, however, a little less sold on the storytelling. I think this is enjoyable and worthwhile, but not necessarily a must-see.

We absolutely get the genre flavors we crave, with murder being adjoined by the tropes of experimentation and the mad scientist, and transformation at a great cost. The tale at large is dramatic and compelling, carrying dark airs that are accentuated in Roman Vlad's excellent score. Yet I also think the narrative feels a tad scattered, as if it lacked a wholly cohesive or unified vision; not all the parts seem to fit together. Just as much to the point, I believe there's a marked disparity between the strength and sinister grandiosity of the otherwise efforts behind the scenes - the sets, props, music, and so on - and that which the plot has to offer; the look and feel of the production portends a saga more intense, grim, and captivating than the one we get. 'I vampiri' is a splendid time, by all means, but it just doesn't strike a chord in the way it ideally should.

Maybe I'm nitpicking, though. One way or another this isn't the top of the line, but it earnestly and meaningfully explores the space it intends to, and it's entertaining. Nowhere is it written that every feature has to be perfect. For that matter, I want to like it more than I do, and I wonder if I'm not being too harsh. At the end of the day this isn't something you need to go out of your way to see, but it's certainly sufficiently fun to warrant checking out if you have the opportunity. 'I vampiri' is no exemplar, but it still stands well on its own merits, and is notable as an early entry in the career of Bava, who would go on to make a big name for himself, and as an example of Italian horror cinema before the industry really came into its own in that regard. It's a good time, and sometimes that's all a flick needs to be.