Based on the classic 1873 gothic novel, CARMILLA, this Hammer vampire film features an aristocratic female vampiress and her family seducing traveling nobles. Peter Cushing returns to Hammer as The General and once more finds himself fighting to forces of darkness. It has that quaint yet Hammer horror style. Titillating but reserved and always focused more on the story than being than trying to overtly steamy or sadistic. I think this was the first obvious mainstream lesbian vampire film. And like other films of the period, lesbianism is treated as a sick perversion. Vampirism was often used as a metaphor for hiding a deviant behavior. This is a great sister film for HAMMER's DRACULA films even if it's based on other subject matter. I am a huge fan of HAMMER and even favor their DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN series over the more popular UNIVERSAL MONSTERS. I just wish they had made better werewolf films.
Review of The Vampire Lovers
