Lèvres de sang

A man (Jean-Loup Phillipe) has visions of himself as a small boy being cared for by a young girl living in a castle. At a party he sees a photograph of the castle ruins and is committed to finding them.

I had never seen a Jean Rollin film, but took interest in him given his significant following. Clearly on a tiny budget, the bulk of this vampire story is devoted to the cast walking all over the place, staring and posing wherever they're on screen. Rollin, who seems fond of vampire stories and has made many, is clearly also fond of the human body and indeed he finds a reason for just about every cast member to get their kit off for one reason or another. The plot such that it is, is thin and the dialogue and acting somewhat stilted. It does however have a dreamlike quality that does wash over you and I was never bored.

Lips of Blood (1975) (Lèvres de sang)- Jean Rollin directed this slower story a man seeking to reconnect to his childhood and the vampire he is destined to be reunited to. Frédéric (Jean-Loup Philippe) is haunted by the images of some ruins he visited as a child and starts a journey to find them. Someone is trying to prevent this from happening, who could it be? His over protective Mother (Nathalie Perrey) advice is to forget the past but Frédéric can't do that. His dreaming leads him to a tomb where he releases a group of scantily clad female vampires who seem to aid him and terrorized him in his quest. When he finally finds the vampire from the past, Jennifer (Annie Belle); his mother comes to him and says that she has been protecting him from the Vamps and he must help her put an end to them. She and her friends had long ago trapped the vampires and now wish to burn them. He is assigned to get Jennifer's head for this purpose. He does not bring the real head and instead frees the beautiful Jennifer to be her lover. She turns him and they sail away in a coffin. (not kidding here) The movie making is standard for the time period with heavy music and blue and red lighting for effect. There are no special effects besides the lovely bodies of the beautiful vamps. The nudity is more casual than pornographic. Subtitled pay attention or you will miss the reveals. Very straight forward compared to some of Rollin's more abstract work. Rating (6.5)

If your one who enjoys the recent surge in European horror films, by all means watch this delirious, non-sensical, erotic gem courtesy of director Jean Rollin.

From nude vampire women roaming the streets of Paris, to spooky castles and graveyards. LIPS OF BLOOD is sure to please

Be forewarned, as this film is for acquired tastes only. A must for sleazy, soft core horror buffs who enjoy their movies with an art house touch.

The films of Jean Rollin will be an enigma to many who have not experiencing his work, yet for those who allow themselves to be taken elsewhere by his cinema it can prove a highly rewarding experience. The viewer is often taken to places that invoke bewilderment, unease, and sexual desire. By no means Rollin's best film, Levres De Sang (aka. Lips of Blood) is a beautifully lyrical, slow burner that has the uncanny ability to take the viewer into an ethereal, dream like world, where the erotic and the neurotic are intertwined.

The story of a photographer, upon seeing a poster, is reminded of his childhood where a mysterious female vampire. However, this being Rollin, do not expect a traditional vampire movie (although his vampire films are arguably the most faithful to the Gothic aura and mythology of the vampire). Mostly dialogue free, with the acting catatonic, this only adds a surreal edge to the proceedings. And no vampire films have a greater sense of eroticism; it is easily to succumb to female vampires whenever they are on screen.

For the uninitiated, approach with caution. But this is a fine example of the originality and unique approach which is to be found in 1970s European sex and horror cinema.

Of which, Jean Rollin was undoubtedly the master.

The renowned French filmmaker Jean Rollin visits themes of childhood, nostalgia, undying love, and the vampire mythos in this typically enigmatic, striking work. Jean-Loup Philippe, who also wrote the script with the director, stars as Frederic, a maternally dominated young man. One day he chances to see a photo of some old ruins that stir in him a long buried childhood memory, when he got lost, came to those ruins, and was protected through the night by a mysterious but alluring stranger (Annie Belle). He becomes determined to solve the mysteries of his life, like for example why people such as his mother (Natalie Perrey) don't want him to know the truth. He's aided in his quest by four sexy female vampires.

Rollin films are most assuredly not for every horror fan. He keeps horror elements fairly limited, with not very much gore or scare set pieces. He does, however, include enough nudity, both female and male, to keep faithful viewers and the curious enticed. He also creates an intoxicating atmosphere here, and a genuinely compelling enigma over which our hero can obsess. One of his most affecting touches here is to develop a sense of desolation. There are never any big crowd scenes, nor are there many in the daytime. A lot of the time, there are precious few characters on screen. Almost from start to finish, Rollin gives "Lips of Blood" a true surreal nature, and the dialogue is often appealingly literate.

Our leading man isn't the most charismatic one will ever see, but he's not unlikable. His various female co-stars fare extremely well, though, especially the radiant young Belle, whom one might recognize from the far more trashy "House on the Edge of the Park".

"Lips of Blood" is wonderfully shot, and definitely romantic in its own way. It's both artful and exploitative in equal measure, making it well worth seeing.

Eight out of 10.