Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
aklcraigc
This was my first Jean Rollin movie, having come across his name on related searches on Amazon and seen his name mentioned in conjunction with Jess Franco, I thought I'd take the plunge. Firstly, this is really low budget stuff, not quite z-grade, but sub b-grade. However, even with obvious limitations Rollin seems to be able to produce one atmospheric, visually engaging shot after another, his use of color reminds me a little bit of Ken Russell. Any notion of plot goes out the window fairly quickly, we're treated to some preliminaries concerning a couple on their honeymoon, but this rapidly degenerates (evolves) into random shots of women in various states of undress wandering though smokey castles and graveyards, in one famous scene, a woman emerges from a Grandfather Clock. On the downside, Rollin seems to have a thing for over-loud, annoying and repetitive sound effects, he often uses these to ruin a perfectly good scene right at the end. Overall there is more to like than dislike here, it's no 'Vampyros Lesbos', but definitely worth seeking out if you're a fan of the whole 70s Lesbian Vampire sub-genre.
Wilbur-10
Dreamy European vampire art-film with a modern-day setting, but all the trappings of a more traditional period horror. Throw in a psychedelic pop score and various hippy motifs and the result is an awkward hybrid of themes and ideas.'Le Frissons des Vampires' is basically a slow series of impressive images set to music, with limited dialogue and a disjointed narrative. The characters and performances are wooden but functional, although this is probably a deliberate method of enhancing the surreal aspects more. The allusions to vampire eroticism, with semi-clad females and implied lesbianism, are not unwelcome but the results are singularly uninteresting with little to excite the viewer.The storyline - pair of newlyweds stop off at a Castle inhabited by vampires - meanders dreamily (drearily) along, with no points of interest to break up the monotony. Despite some individual images which are stunning - the female vampire emerging from the grandfather clock - it's difficult to find much to recommend here. I'm not sure how much of the film's strength was lost to the poor dubbing, but even so I can't help feeling that 'Lust for a Vampire' (1971), despite its lack of artistic merit is better entertainment.For all its striking visuals, Rollin's film falls down on too many basic levels and as naked lesbian vampire films go, it's simply dull to watch.
rossaw
The interesting characters in this are a couple of guys who used to be vampire hunters but, after an "accident" (they got bit) have become unabashedly undead, and never had more fun. They dress somewhere between hippies and 18th century fops, and at one point lecture the protagonist on their "researches" which purport to explain the origins of devil worship in Europe in relation to the Catholic Church. It's all tongue in cheek. One the two guys smokes a pipe, and presumably it's not for tobacco.
There's elaborate sets and amusing action for something so low-budget. In the heroine's room there's a Dali-esque chair with a monstrous man-like thing behind it. In place of its stomach is a fish bowl with fish and a skull inside, and a closeup of the skull shows reflections of the burning fireplace in its eyes. The clock strikes midnight and a skinny lesbian vampire slinks out of the bottom part and starts putting her hands on the buxom heroine, who doesn't object. Not bad, eh?The music is good and actually enhances the action. Plenty of T&A, with slow pans over naked babes, a pair of deadly Madonna-like tit-spikes, and other good stuff. You can probably watch this while you balance your checkbook, but if you like cheesy low-budget horror there's plenty worse.
alice liddell
Unforgettable Rollin extravaganza, daring to go for effects other directors would dismiss as cheesy, and pulling them off. On one level, it seems pure exploitation, with its somnolent virgins and lesbian vampires; but it is the prospective male viewer that the film targets - his representative on screen is reduced to an impotent observer, finally breaking down into helpless madness. Rollin's style is as delirious as ever, fantastic French Gothic sets, seeping red filter, dreamlike pace, bewilderingly inventive soundtrack, resonant set-pieces and unmissably pretentious dialogue. It's easier to follow than THE RAPE OF THE VAMPIRE.
