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The Vampire Lovers [1970]
Country of Origin: UK / USA
Year of Production: 1970
Running Times: 91 mins
Length: 8,177 ft
Format: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio:
Sound:
CREDITS
 PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Hammer Films / American
International Pictures
Producers: Harry Fine,
Michael Style
Production Manager: Tom Sachs
SCRIPT
Script: Tudor Gates
Adaptation: Harry Fine, Tudor Gates, Michael Style
Novel: Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
DIRECTION
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Assistant Director: Derek Whitehurst
PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Moray Grant
Camera Operator: Neil Binney
Laboratory: Movielab, USA
EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: James Needs
MUSIC
Music: Harry Robinson (real name: Harry Robertson)
Musical Supervisor: Philip Martell
SOUND
Recording Director: Tony Lumkin
Sound Recording: Claude Hitchcock
Sound Editor: Roy Hyde
Dubbing Mixer: Dennis Whitlock
MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Supervisor: Tom Smith
Hair Supervisor: Pearl Tipaldi
Costume Designer: Brian Cox
Wardrobe Mistress: Laura Nightingale
DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Scott MacGregor
Construction Manager: Bill Greene
LOCATIONS
Locations: A.B.P.C. Studios, Elstree, England, UK
MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Betty Harley
CAST
Ingrid Pitt [Mircalla / Marcilla / Carmilla]
Peter Cushing
[General Spielsdorf]
Madeline Smith [Emma]
Jon Finch [Carl]
Pippa Steele [Laura Spielsdorf]
George Cole [Morton]
Dawn Addams [the Countess]
Douglas Wilmer [Baron Hartog]
Kate O'Mara [the governess]
Janet Kay [Gretchin]
Ferdy Mayne [doctor]
Kirsten Betts [1st vampire]
John Forbes-Robertson [man in black]
Shelagh Wilcocks [housekeeper]
Harvey Hall [Renton]
Charles Farrell [landlord]
Graham James [1st young man]
Tom Browne [2nd young man]
Joanna Shelley [woodman's daughter]
Olga James [village girl]
Jill Easter [woodmans wife - uncredited]
Lindsay Kemp [Jester - uncredited]
Sion Probert [young man in tavern - uncredited]
Vicki Woolf [landlords daughter - uncredited]
SUMMARY
Mircalla is left in the care of General Spieldorf while her mother
travels around Europe. Mircalla befriends Spieldorf's niece Laura who
soon falls ill and starts to dream of being attacked by a giant cat.
When Laura eventually dies, Mircalla - now calling herself Carmilla
- turns up at the home of Spieldorf's neighbour, Morton, whose daughter
Emma is seduced by Carmilla. Meanwhile, Spieldorf has heard from his
friend Baron Hartog, who has been slaying the vampiric Karnstein family.
He's destroyed them all except for one - a young woman whose portrait
looks exactly like Carmilla...
CAPSULE REVIEW
Despite an impressive performance from Ingrid Pitt, The Vampire
Lovers is far too sluggishly paced and too cynically exploitative
for its own good. It also never quite has the courage of its own convictions
- it desperately wants to be daring and erotic and, although it has
some potent moments, overall it must surely have looked coy and unconvincing
even in 1970.
AVAILABILITY
Portugal
Theatrical Distributor: Exclusivos Triunfo
UK
Theatrical Distributor: MGM-EMI Film Distributors Limited
Video Distributor: Rank
USA
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Video Distributors: Embassy Home Entertainment; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer;
Orion Home Video
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
Australia
Rating: M
Finland
Rating: K-16
Portugal
Rating: M/18
Sweden
Rating: 15
UK
Rating: X [with cuts]; 15 [uncut]
USA
Rating: R
TIMELINE
1970
July
16: UK - rated X by the BBFC [with cuts, for theatrical release]
October
4: UK - theatrical release
22: USA - theatrical release
November
23: Sweden - theatrical release
1972
December
8: Finland - theatrical release
1978
September
29: UK - television broadcast [on ITV]
1991
February
4: UK - television broadcast [on ITV]
POSTER TAGS
Even the dead can love.
If you dare... taste the deadly passion of the BLOOD-NYMPHS
An erotic nightmare of tormented lusts that throb in headless,
undead bodies!
Carmilla is really queen of lesbian vampires!
Beautiful temptress... or bloodthirsty monster?
...She's the NEW HORROR FROM HAMMER!
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
As Amantes do Vampiro - Portugese title
Gruft der Vampire - German title
Vampire lovers kuolleiden intohimot - Finnish title
Vampiri amanti - Italian title
Vampyren - en erotisk mardröm - Swedish title
Vampyyrit - eroottinen painajainen
- Finnish title
LINKS
SEQUELS
Lust for a Vampire [1971]
Twins of Evil [1971]
SEE ALSO
The Hunger [1983]
La novia ensangrentada [1972]
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
Filmfax no.61 [June / July 1997] pp.61,
62 [USA]
illustrated credits, review
Films and Filming vol.17 no.3 [December
1970] pp.56, 59 [UK]
review
The House That Hammer Built no.7 [February
1998] pp.380-385 [UK]
illustrated credits, synopsis, review
Kine Weekly no.3282 [5 September 1970]
p.8 [UK]
review
Monthly Film Bulletin vol.37 no.441 [October
1970] pp.207-208 [UK]
credits, synopsis, review
Today's Cinema no.9772 [20 January 1970]
p.8 [UK]
credits
Today's Cinema 28 February 1970 p.15
[UK]
note
Today's Cinema no.9838 [11 September
1970] p.8 [UK]
review
Variety 16 September 1970 p.23 [USA]
credits, review
Video Junkie no.1 p.20 [USA]
review
BOOKS
Elliott's Guide to Films on Video p.848
credits, review
English Gothic [2nd edition] pp.169-171
illustrated credits, review [by Jonathan Rigby]
The Hammer Story p.136-137
illustrated article, review [by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes]
Ten Years of Terror pp.61-64
illustrated credits, review [by Tim Greaves]
KEYWORDS
vampires, lesbianism, decapitations, severed heads
Last Updated:
6 March, 2007
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