The Velvet Vampire

At first, this looks to be another of the "erotic vampire" movies that were so popular in the 1970's, especially in Europe. But this American movie is actually quite different from Hammer's "Carnstein trilogy", the Rollins and Franco vampire films, and other European cult classics like "Vampyres" and "Daughters of Darkness". It doesn't really have the lesbian vampire angle that was often the bane of many of the European films. It's more of a love triangle with a free-spirited hippie couple (Michael Blodgett and Sherry Miles) finding their swinging lifestyle tested by a mysterious and very seductive woman (Celeste Yanell). There is one incredible polymorphously perverse scene where Yanell sucks snake venom out of the Miles's leg, and there are several heterosexual scenes between Blodgett and each of the women (usually while the other is secretly watching), but the plot is never completely overwhelmed with softcore groping,lesbian or otherwise.

The movie also has a very unusual (and very American)setting. It takes place in the Mojave desert near an abandoned mine and an old graveyard (where there are hints of cannibalism and necrophilia). It is atrociously acted (with Miles being the worst offender), but surprisingly well photographed, really making the most of its non-traditional horror setting. The vampire herself is also quite non-traditional. She has a reflection, is not overly adverse to sunlight, and may not really even be a vampire but instead someone suffering from insanity or a rare blood disease a la "Martin" or "Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary".

This movie may not quite compare some of the European vampire classics of its time, but it's better than some (Franco's "Female Vampire", for instance),and it's miles ahead of recent, derivative crap like "An Erotic Vampire in Paris". I'd rank it among the more interesting American vampire films of the period such as "Count Yorga" and "Lemora, Lady Dracula".

I wasn't expecting a lot when I sat down to watch this Roger Corman vampire production, but to a degree I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Director Stephanie Rothman managed to take a low budget and limited resources and made some very memorable moments. There is some real atmosphere here - the desert landscapes are striking, and the horror sequences have (ahem) some bite to them. And the expected scenes of nudity and sex do have a little eroticism to them. Rothman is also helped by some striking cinematography and an excellent musical score.

Unfortunately, the movie does have a lead weight attached to it that prevents it from becoming a B movie classic, and that is the script. Even though the movie only runs about eighty minutes in length, the story is padded out to a ridiculous length. What story there is could have been told in half the time. It's hard to believe that it took three screenwriters (including Rothman) to write this extremely thin story.

Because of this unsatisfying script, the movie just manages to escape being labelled a cult classic. While I don't regret watching it, in the end the movie is only for a select (and patient) audience.

With the Womens Lib movement in full dudgeon in the early 1970s, a few horror movies reflected this revolutionary turn-of-events with varying degrees of success. By far the best was the ravishing Dutch thriller "Daughters of Darkness," with Delphine Seyrig's hypnotic portrayal of a bisexual, blood-thirsty modern-day vampire. But the little-known American trailblazer, Stephanie Rothman's "The Velvet Vampire," should not be overlooked. "B" actress Celeste Yarnall acquits herself beautifully as an enigmatic young temptress who lures a pair of blond, beautiful newlyweds (Michael Blodgett, from the unforgettable "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"; and Sherry Miles, an embarrassing actress but a certifiable voluptuary) to her isolated abode in the Mojave desert, where she plans to have her way with them. Or does she? "The Velvet Vampire" runs hot and cold--at once a camp hoot, then suddenly a disturbingly erotic example of a perhaps dubious genre. But it casts a unique spell of its own, thanks to Ms. Rothman's artfully detached direction, and the audacious performances of the three leads. Truely "a guilty pleasure" for fans of it's (perhaps) dubious genre, and a haunting oddity worth checking out.

A vampire in the middle of the desert? That is just what is the subject of this somewhat forgotten, semi-erotic tale made in the only decade one would make a movie about a female vampire with inclinations toward both sexes: the seventies! Now before I get too far, let me say that this film is unique in several ways. It has as its vampire a vampire that defies almost all of the traditional myths about vampires. This one, named Diane, can go about freely in the sun. She can see her reflection in the mirror. She sleeps in a luxuriously large bed(all the more room to entertain her guests). She does feed on blood. She is reputed to be over a century old.. She has a deathly aversion to the Crucifix. What does all this mean? I really don't know, but I am of the opinion that the director and writer were portraying a real vampire rather than a mental vampire(one that believes herself to be a vampire). Diane, played deliciously by Celeste Yarnell, meets a guy and his wife while at a club in Los Angelos. They are invited to her house in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert. Once there, we see Diane and company explore a mine shaft, visit a ghost town, have sexual relations in three different pairings, ride on a dune buggy, and see Diane suck the venom out of a bikini-clad Sherry Miles's leg. This is a strange film not always sure where it is going, but it does lots of things fairly nicely. The acting is pretty good. Yarnell, aside from being beautiful, gives a good performance despite the flaws she inherited with a script fraught with problems. The script keeps cohesive though never explains anything really and tries way too hard at the end. The sex scenes are really quite tame by today's standards. I liked the guitar score throughout much of the film. Though I believe the movie tried to heap much on its being seen as a risqué film in its favor, the film is much more than that. It is far from great, but it is definitely worth a look.

THE VELVET VAMPIRE opens with a woman walking alone at night. She's suddenly attacked by a biker (Robert Tessier) with an unexpected result. This is no ordinary, defenseless female. This is Dianne LeFanu (Celeste Yarnall), the title character.

After meeting a young couple (Michael Blodgett and Sherry E. DeBoer) at an art exhibit, Dianne invites them to her remote, desert estate where the real fun begins.

This is a wonderfully trippy example of early 1970's horror, packed to the gills with semi-erotic nudity, wonky dream sequences, vicious vampire attacks, and wild dune buggy action. There's also a certain clunky charm that adds to the overall enjoyment of the film.

If your tolerance for cheeeze is high, you'll have no problem with the visible swim trunks on Blodgett when he's supposed to be stark naked during the aforementioned dream scenes.

While the supporting actors are rather wooden, Ms. Yarnall is quite convincing in her seductively eeevil role.

The absurd, crucifix-filled finale is the icing on the cake...