Lust of the Vampire

Original title: I vampiri

1957
1h 22m

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Wandisa Guida in Lust of the Vampire (1957)

Paris. Young girls are found dead, drained of their blood. A journalist investigates these murders while the beautiful Gisele, from a noble family, tries to seduce him.Paris. Young girls are found dead, drained of their blood. A journalist investigates these murders while the beautiful Gisele, from a noble family, tries to seduce him.Paris. Young girls are found dead, drained of their blood. A journalist investigates these murders while the beautiful Gisele, from a noble family, tries to seduce him.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Gianna Maria Canale

Giselle du Grand…

Carlo D'Angelo

L'ispettore Chantal
(as Carlo d'Angelo)

Dario Michaelis

Pierre Lantin

Wandisa Guida

Laurette Robert

Angelo Galassi

Ronald Fontaine
(as Angiolo Galassi)

Renato Tontini

L'assistente del professore Grand

Charles Fawcett

L'ingegnere Robert - il padre di Laurette

Gisella Mancinotti

L'amica di Laurette

Miranda Campa

La signora Robert - il madre di Laurette

Antoine Balpêtré

Il professor Julien du Grand
(as Antoine Balpetré de la Comédie Française)

Paul Muller

Joseph Signoret

Armando Annuale

Un uomo anziano al funerale
(uncredited)

Larry Boston

Unknown Role
(uncredited)

Aristide Catoni

Porter
(uncredited)

Riccardo Freda

Un medico
(uncredited)

Bert Goldstein

Il maitre d'
(uncredited)

Ronny Holiday

Nora
(uncredited)

Joy Holliday

Anita
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
This was the first Italian made horror film of the sound era.

Goofs
The crime lab doctor says type O blood is the rarest blood type when, in fact, it is found in over 40% of the French population.

Quotes
Il professor Julien du Grand: You'll feel nothing.
Laurette Robert: No!
Il professor Julien du Grand: It's much better this way.
Laurette Robert: No! No!
Il professor Julien du Grand: Such of you--alright, now, just be a good little girl!

Crazy credits
English dubbed version 'The Devil's Commandment' is credited to director Riccardo Freda's pseudonym Robert Hampton.

Alternate versions
Original Italian version is 82-minutes long. US distributor re-edited the film, inserting new footage starring Al Lewis and Ronny & Joy Holliday, shortened it to 70 minutes and released it as "Devil's Commandment". The differences are as follows:
Alternate opening scene in which Joseph (played by a body double) stalks a women to her apartment, kills her in the bathtub, and has the body disposed of.
Several dialogue-heavy scenes are cut or trimmed.
The scene where Lantin brings the police back to the apartment he tailed Joseph back to is cut.
The scene where the blind beggar is questioned by the police, and the subsequent house raid, are cut.
A newly-shot sequence where a woman goes to a nightclub and is subsequently killed by Joseph.
A newly-shot sequence where one of Dr. Du Grand's assistants (Lewis) forces himself on Lorette (played by a body double).
Added insert shots of rats crawling toward Lorette.

Connections
Referenced in Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre (2000)

User reviews34

Review

Featured review

Atmospheric trend starter; made better by Mario Bava!

Paris is plagued by a murder spree. French reporter Pierre LaSalle (Dario Michaelis) is hot on the trail of what he thinks is a vampire killing off young strippers. LaSalle is also being courted to his dismay by his ex-lover, Giselle du Grand (Gianna Maria Canale - Goliath vs the Vampire), granddaughter of the mysterious Duchesse du Grand. Meanwhile, across town at the Institute of Experimental Surgery, the Duchesse is working with professor Julien du Grand (Antoine Balpêtré) to help develop artificial blood. Soon enough, reporter LaSalle gathers enough clues to confirm his crazy theory, and soon learns the truth about the Duchesse, the professor and even Giselle.

This film is the foundation of the short-lived Italian gothic horror sub-genre. Containing much of the elements of the classic American horror films of the 40s (dimly lit corridors, musty dungeons, mad doctors, rotting skeletons etc), this atmospheric production didn't do well in Italy. Only years later, after the success of the Hammer Studios (England) gothic horror revival, was this movie rediscovered and appreciated for what it was. Director of photography Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Lisa and the Devil) gives a great look to this Elisabeth Bathory-inspired tale, using low angle shots and highly contrasted lighting. Bava also took over direction when Freda left the set halfway through production. Look for a young Paul Müller (Nightmare Castle, Bram Stoker's Count Dracula) as the hired killer.