Les avaleuses (1973)

Country of Origin: France /Belgium/Spain
Year of Production: 1973
Running Times: 68m 42s (Finland - video)/71m 32s (USA - video (Force Video))/80m (Argentina)/82m/88m 47s (Germany - video)/91m 55s (UK - video)/93m 40s (USA - video (Private Screening))/95m 10s (France - video)/97m 17s (Italy - video)/97m 22s (Netherlands - video)/100m 31s (USA - DVD/VHS)/104m 56s (Germany - DVD)
Length:
Format: 35mm/Techniscope
Colour Format: Technicolor
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Director: J.P. Johnson /Peter Kerr (both real name: Jesus Franco)

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: General Films/Eurocine/Brux International /Les Films Marc
Producers: Marius Lesoeur, Pierre Queret (?) (real name: Jesus Franco, Ramon Ardid)
Production Manager: Jean Lefait

SCRIPT
Script: P. Belair or David Kuhne (both real name: Jesus Franco), Gerard Brissaud, H.L. Rostaine?
Dialogue: P. Belair (real name: Jesus Franco), Joseph Jehoulet

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Rick De Conninck, Patrice Rhomm (real name: Patrice Rondard)

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: Joan Vincent (real name: Jesus Franco), Raymond Heil (real name: Ramon Ardid)
Stills: Ramon Ardid
Lab: Technicolor S.p.a., Roma, Italy

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Pierre Querut (real name: Jesus Franco)

MUSIC
Music: Daniel White

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Guy Gilbert (real name: Jesus Franco)

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Elisandra Villaneuva

LOCATIONS
Locations: Madeira, Portugal

CAST

Lina Romay (Countess Irina Karlstein)
Jack Taylor (Baron Von Rathony)
Alice Arno (real name: Marie-France Broquet) (Irina´s servant)
Monica Swinn (Princess de Rochefort)
Jesus Franco (Dr Roberts)
Luis Barboo (Irina's manservant)
Jean-Pierre Bouyxou (Dr Orloff)
Raymond Hardy (real name: Ramon Ardid) (hotel masseur)
Gilda Arancio (Ana)
Anna Watican (Anna)
Roger Germanes (1st victim)
Richard Kendall (real name: Ricardo Vázquez) (Inspector)

The mute Countess Irina Karlstein emerges from the mist to seduce a young woodsman. During a blow job, she bites him and the man bleeds to death. Later, in a hotel room, Irina is interviewed by Ana, a journalist, in a strange, one way conversation during which we learn that Irina is the last in a long line of vampires - Irina kills her victims by sucking hormones from their bodies during energetic bouts of oral sex. Dr Roberts tries to convince the police that the killing of the woodsman was the work of a vampire and he teams up with the blind Dr Orloff to track down the killer. Meanwhile, Irina has fallen in love with Austrian poet Baron Von Rathony who knows what Irina is but is attracted to her nonetheless and enters willingly into a doomed affair.

Benelux
Video Distributor: Redemption Benelux

Canada
Video Distributor: Image Entertainment

Finland
Video Distributor: Big Partner oy Suomen

France
Theatrical Distributor: Eurocine
Video Distributor: BGV; TV Video

Germany
Video Distributor: X-Rated Kultvideo; Video Toppic; Video Action; Venus

Italy
Video Distributor: Antoniana Home Video; Pulp

Netherlands
Video Distributors: Redemption

UK
Video Distributor: Redemption
VCD Distributor: Redemption

USA
Video Distributors: Lightning Video; Luna Video; Media Home Entertainment; Private Screenings; Wizard Video; Force Video; Image Entertainment
DVD Distributor: Image Entertainment (ID 9105 BIDVD)

Argentina
Rating: 18

Australia
Rating: banned

Italy
Rating: VM18

UK
Rating: 18 (cut by 6 mins 12 secs)

1999
October
10: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2000
July
1: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

August
8: USA - DVD release - (Image Entertainment (ID 9105 BIDVD))

Maailman Kuulu Shokki!

Bare Breasted Countess
The Black Countess
Caldo corpo di femmina, Un - Italian title
Comtesse aux seins nus, La
Comtesse noire, La
Entfesselte Begierde - West German video title
Erotic Kill - US title
Erotikill - West German title
Erotikiller – Italian video title
Female Vampire
Insatiable Lust – French X-rated version title
Jacula
Jaccula
Last Thrill, The
Loves of Irina, The
Mujer vampire, La – Argentinian title
Naked Vampire, The
Sicarius - the Midnight Party
Verentahrima morsian - Finnish title
Yacula

SEE ALSO
Sexe qui parle, Le (1975)

PERIODICALS

Absurd no.8 (UK)
credits, review

Bianco e Nero vol.40 no.1 (January/February 1979) p.133 (Italy)
credits

The Dark Side April 1993 p.32 (UK)
review

Ecran no.37 (June/July 1975) p.65 (France)
review

Fangoria no.198 (November 2000) p.65 (USA)
DVD review

Horror Elite no.6 (January 1977) p.12 (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.45 no.538 (November 1978) p.217 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Necronomicon no.6 pp.7-8 (UK)
review

Positif no.171/172 (July/August 1975) p.104 (France)
review

Samhain no.5 p.19 (UK)
review (by Kevin Lyons)

Shivers no.26 p.44 (UK)
review

Stars & Cinéma vol.3 no.5 (May 1975) p.24 (France)
review

Video Watchdog no.1 pp.26-27, 35 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror p.270
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume II p.20
credits

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.64
credits, review

Obsession - The Films of Jesus Franco p.105
illustrated credits, review (by Christian Kessler)

OTHER SOURCES

Sex, Shocks and Sadism pp.12-13 (USA)
review

KEYWORDS

journalists, lesbianism, lesbian vampires, mutes, poets, sex, surgeons, vampires

Last Updated: 3 January, 2010