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Female Vampire Countess Irina of Karlstein resides quietly in
a hotel on the island of Madeira, where she sustains her immortality
by feeding on the life essence of men and women. When new victims
are found fatally drained of potency, forensic scientist Dr. Roberts
consults his colleague, Dr. Orloff, who confirms that a vampire
is responsible. Meanwhile, Irina is confronted by a poet who believes
he is destined to become her lover and join her among the immortals!
Jess Franco's influential erotic horror film is presented here
in its full-strength version, and for the first time in a widescreen
format. The uninhibited Lina Romay makes her starring debut as Countess
Irina in a role that established her as a sex and horror film icon.
Submit yourself to the life-consuming thirsts of EuroHorror's most
famous Female Vampire!
|
 Dracula
Chalk this one up as something that seemed like a good idea at the
time. Frank Langella had just taken Broadway by storm in a revival
of the play based on Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. He was tall,
elegant, and almost painfully romantic--all qualities that failed
to translate to this garish, tarted-up film version. The story remains
the same, if told in greater length than in Bela Lugosi's version.
The film even offered Laurence Olivier as vampire-hunter Van Helsing
(in one of several roles he played during the period that required
a middle-European accent) and a young Kate Nelligan as the woman whose
love (and blood) Dracula most wants. But director John Badham, working
from W.D. Richter's clunky script, makes a hash of most of it, relying
on special effects to do the heavy lifting. |
Dracula's Daughter
This cut-rate sequel to Dracula, sans Bela Lugosi, turns out to be
an unexpectedly sleek and stylish movie. Gloria Holden, tall, dark,
and continental, is the aristocratic title character fighting her
nature and seeking a cure for her affliction. A sympathetic psychiatrist,
Dr. Garth (Otto Kruger), encourages her to "face her fears," but when
she lures a pretty young streetwalker to her room to model for a painting,
the temptation of her fleshy offering proves too much to overcome.
Edward Van Sloan reprises his role as Van Helsing, held by the police
for the murder of Count Dracula (the film opens on the final scene
from Dracula) but released in the nick of time to help Garth, now
at the mercy of the bitter and vindictive vampire. Director Lambert
Hillyer makes the most of his low budget, with austere, angular sets
and an almost abstract sense of the foggy city night. Holden's mysterious
face and tall, willowy body make her an even more striking vampire
than Lugosi, and Irving Pichel's offbeat servant is like an American
gangster with the breeding of a European aristocrat: thick and thuggish,
but always proper. The script falls into the usual rut of Universal's
later horror films, losing the mood in the busy plot, but the smooth
style and Holden's dignified performance lift this above most Universal
sequels. |
Dracula - Spanish Version
In 1989, horror-movie historian David J. Skal discovered the legendary
Spanish-language version of the 1931 Dracula in Cuba. Shot at night
on the same Universal sets as Tod Browning's classic after, his crew
went home for the evening, and using a translated version of the same
script, this version features a cast of Mexican and South American
actors under the direction of George Melford. When this version was
released in 1992 in the U.S. (with subtitles), a small but fervent
coterie of fans proclaimed it superior to Tod Browning's original.
While practically identical in many ways, Melford creates a more atmospheric
set and has his camera prowling though it in key moments, resulting
in a more stylish and smooth film. He punctuates scenes with striking
compositions and startling close-ups and paces the film more evenly
(even though it emerges 30 minutes longer ). Two elements stand out
above all. The lovely Lupita Tovar makes a much sexier Mina (named
Eva here), signaling her transformation to the dark side by rising
from her bed in a low-cut, and very revealing, nightgown, as if displaying
her newfound sexual aggressiveness. The film's sole weakness is Carlos
Villar's Dracula, who is nowhere near as charismatic as Bela Lugosi.
Though his portrayal improves over the course of the film, he never
comes close to Lugosi's intensity or aristocratic demeanor. |
Dracula Vs. Frankenstein
From Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide Self-conscious comedy masquerading
as horror film wasting talents of old-timers Naish and Chaney; Dracula
makes deal with aging Dr. Frankenstein so as to have steady supply
of blood. Regrettably, both Naish and Chaney's final film. Aka THE
REVENGE OF DRACULA. |
Embrace of the Vampire
Includes both the unrated version (93 minutes, Anamorphic 1.85:1,
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) and the R rated version (92 minutes,
Full Frame 1.33:1, English Dolby Surround). One of the best vampire
movies I've seen in ages and Alyssa Milano could melt the antarctic.
Wonderful performances from the cast. |
Fearless Vampire Killers Or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck
One of Roman Polanski's more overt comedies, this 1966 monster spectacle
stars Jack MacGowran and Polanski as a clunky but heroic pair of vampire
killers. Called upon to rescue the beautiful and buxom daughter (Sharon
Tate) of an innkeeper from a Draculalike bloodsucker, the duo muddle
through all sorts of scrapes, the most intense being a scene in which
a room full of dancing vampires realize the human interlopers are
the only ones in the room who are reflected in a mirror. Scary and
funny, the film has some unforgettable set pieces, a terrific score,
one of the few records of Tate's extraordinary beauty, and vibrant
performances. Not exactly Polanski in a relaxed mode, but clear evidence
of his estimable skills as a director of both brilliance and polish |
Fay Wray Collection: Most Dangerous Game/The Vampire Bat
Vivid telling of Richard Connell's famous, oft-filmed story about
a megalomaniac named Count Zaroff who hunts human beings on his remote
island. Banks is a florid, sometimes campy villain. |
Fright Night
Teenage boy enlists the aid of TV horror-movie host (and erstwhile
actor) to kill suave, cunning vampire who's moved in next door. Entertaining,
old-fashioned horror outing energized by Richard Edlund's spectacular
special effects and highlighted by two wonderful performances, by
McDowall and Sarandon. Written by Holland. Followed by a sequel. |
Fright Night Pt. 2
Sister of the vampire who met a grisly end in FRIGHT NIGHT seeks revenge
on the duo who destroyed him. More-of-the-same sequel is definitely
a comedown from the earlier film, though well produced. |
From Dusk Till Dawn
From a match made in heaven comes a movie spawned in hell! Young hotshot
director Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi, Desperado) teamed up with
Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino (offering his services as writer
and co-star) to make this outrageous, no-holds-barred hybrid of high-octane
crime and gruesome horror. QT plays Richard Gecko, a borderline psychopath
who breaks his career-criminal brother, Seth (George Clooney), out
of prison, after which they rob a bank and leave a trail of dead and
wounded in their bloody wake. Heading to Mexico with their hostages,
the infamous Gecko brothers arrive at the Titty Twister bar to rendezvous
for a money drop, but they don't realize that they've just entered
the nocturnal lair of a bloodthirsty gang of vampires! With not-so-subtle
aplomb, Rodriguez and Tarantino shift into high gear with a nonstop
parade of gore, gunfire, and pointy-fanged mayhem featuring Salma
Hayek as a snake-charming dancer whose bite is much worse than her
bark. If you're a fan of Tarantino's lyrical dialogue and pop-cultural
wit, you'll have fun with the road-movie half of this supernatural
horror-comedy, but if your taste runs more to exploding heads and
eyeballs, sloppy entrails and morphing monsters, the second half provides
a connoisseur's feast of gross-out excess |
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