8. Any Jean Rollin filmFrench Director Jean Rollin practically made an entire career out of the Lesbian Vampire sub-genre. With titles such as Rape of the Vampire(1969), The Naked Vampire (1970), The Shiver of the Vampires (1971) or Lips of Blood (1975) he managed to transform a one-track obsession into a lucrative cinematic career.
With his sense for mixing eroticism with art-house, his productions are stunning to look at; but at the same time, his fixation on foregoing conventional narrative structures and focusing often entirely on silent, dialogue-free surreal imagery and slow, languid dreamlike sequences can also make his films exercises in boredom. For every dedicated Jean Rollin Fan we will also have a dozen others who consider his oeuvre to be the cinematic equivalent of a sleeping pill - if you can sleep through that many nude women.
7. Vampyros Lesbos (1971)Some would argue the case that a Top 10 of best lesbian vampire movies could easily be filled entirely with Jess Franco films and others would say that the terms "best" and "Franco" are mutually exclusive. Still, at least one of the Spanish director's productions warrants a place in this list, and none more so than Vampyros Lesbos.
One other possible contender could be his Female Vampire (1973), but with a title like this, how could I not include Vampyros Lesbos? And whereas the Female Vampire stars hopelessly overrated and common-as-muck Lina Ronay, this entry features Franco's stunningly beautiful, but ultimately tragic muse Soledad Miranda, who passed away far too young in a car accident not too long after the film was finished.
She plays the otherwordly figure who lures Ewa Strömberg's character away from her mundane existence in a series of ever more surreal (bit of a trend here) sequences. Looks like I am quite comfortably in touch with my inner female, but am I the only one who feels that Franco is a better costume designer than film maker? Some of the fetishistic clothes on display alone warrant at least a cursory viewing.
6. Lust for a Vampire (1971)Remember this is not a Top 10 of the Most Intelligent Movies Of All Time and, yes, that final song is embarrassing, but when you immerse yourself in a movie marathon with scores of films featuring beautifully shot - but often slow moving - dream scenes, then every once in a while you need a stupid but entertaining Hammer production to keep you awake. And realistically: When you think of Lust for a Vampire, is the first thing that comes to your mind the song or the image of a blood-drenched Yutte Stensgaard arising from her tomb? ‘Nuff said.
5. Vampyres (1974)From the first scene of Vampyres it becomes very obvious that our two leading ladies, played by charismatic and gorgeous Marianne Morris and Anulka (who both, very surprisingly, never made much afterwards), like each other. A lot. They regularly waylay primarily male drivers to tempt and quickly dispose of them by sucking them dry. Rather than sport the usual fangs they do so by cutting their arms open with a knife. The wound on which they feast has a suspiciously vaginal look to it.
Filmed in the English countryside by Spanish director José Ramón Larraz this is a very tittilating film that rightly became a cult production over the years. Ultimately all is not as it seems as and, as quite often the case with those types of movies, you better be prepared to make up your own mind as to what you saw.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012