Lèvres de sang

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.

There's no question that Jean Rollin films are something of an acquired taste. His style is certainly off-putting to many. Even from someone who is fond of most of his output, I can easily understand why someone would not like Rollin's movies at all. Lips of Blood is another textbook example of the man's work with all the usual eccentric and idiosyncratic details you could reasonably expect. Its story involving female vampires is typical of the sort of thing he is most well known for. Except I have to say that I think that this film may very well be the most complete expression that Rollin ever made. I get the feeling that this movie is possibly the closest of all his pictures to the original idea he envisioned.

Quite unusually much of the action takes place in the middle of the city. But as is typical for Rollin, this also incorporates scenes in a Gothic cemetery as well as the expected crumbling castle and beach sequence. However, the night time city scenes are very probably the best parts of the entire movie. They include some strange and surreal locations such as the aquarium, the night fountains and the late night cinema (showing Le Frissons des Vampires no less). The extended scene where our hero navigates all these locations is some of the most fully-realized and effective stuff Rollin ever filmed. He photographs and lights things very well too and Lips of Blood doesn't betray its ultra low-budget origins as much as most of his other films.

The storyline, however, is as basic as usual. The characterizations are as paper-thin as always. But these considerations are just not what you would watch his films for, and if these things do bother you then his films are most probably not for you. But if you appreciate more dream-like fare or melancholic horror films, then this could well be worth your time. Lips of Blood is arguably Rollin's best film, it's certainly one of his most well made. Recommended to those who like Euro horror from the more surreal end of the spectrum.

Lips of Blood has a languid quality that could've registered as decadence had it been made with any wit whatsoever, but instead of wit the movie offers us this vapid literal-mindedness. The movie is played with such soft-core-porn straightness that it's impossible not to snicker at it. Director Jean Rollin is sometimes described as a fantasist, but his fantasies are strictly pedestrian. Who but a teenage Goth-nit-wit could find anything to savor in this somnambulistic tale of a pale guy with bad hair being menaced by some half-naked chicks with dime-store vampire fangs? The movie requires more than suspension-of-disbelief, it requires suspension-of-intellect.

It's striking how amateurish and bereft of energy this movie is. Cult directors like Rollin are usually at least capable of some halfway decent staging, but there aren't even any images that stick with you, any trashy-iconographic moments. The problem is that Rollin himself doesn't seem all that charged up about his fantasies. Directors who deal in this kind of fetishistic material are usually at least somewhat interested in the subject-matter, but judging by this film Rollin could care less about vampires. The scenes all seem to plod on for hours with nothing happening, the cutting so flaccid that it's like we're being encouraged subliminally to nod off. Not a bad idea considering the display of cinematic indifference being carried out before us.

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.