The Vampire Lovers

1970
R
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

8.1K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:15

Vampire Horror Horror

Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein and her family target the beautiful and the rich in a remote area of late eighteenth-century Gemany.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

8.1K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,976

543

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trailer 2:15

The Vampire Lovers

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Ingrid Pitt said in a 2009 column she wrote for Den of Geek that "When it came to the nude scenes, the director asked Madeline Smith and me if we wanted a closed set. It didn't bother me one way or the other because I've always been a bit of an exhibitionist so I had no problem letting people see me naked. Maddy Smith, being very British, was a little more nervous about prancing around in the nude. So we had a closed set. Producers Harry Fine and Michael Style were a bit peeved about this because they were barred from set too. They thought it was producer's perks to watch what was going on. Then one day I was walking to the set wearing just a dressing gown with nothing on underneath when I saw them coming in the opposite direction wearing a doleful look. As I went past them I open my dressing gown and said, Wheeeee! There was a spring in their step as they went on their way."

Goofs
The story is set in the late 1700s, but at the General's ball the orchestra plays a couple of pieces by Johann Strauss Sr. (1804 - 1849) and Léo Delibes (1836-1891).

Quotes
Marcilla: You must die! Everybody must die!

Alternate versions
The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to reduce the opening decapitation and shots of Carmilla kissing Emma's breasts, and the same print was featured on video releases. The 2002 ILC DVD saw the cuts fully waived though the print used was an edited US one which missed a brief full frontal shot of Carmilla in a bathtub scene. The 2006 Optimum DVD featured the fully uncut and complete print.

Connections
Featured in The Return of Count Yorga (1971)

Soundtracks
Whistle Stop Polka
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss
Arranged by Harry Robertson

User reviews112

Review

Featured review

More British Vampire Erotica

Seeing the upper nudity in a Hammer film came as a small surprise, since all the other Hammer movies I had seen are the edited versions on American TV. Mind you, I'm NOT complaining about getting to view the breasts of Ingrid Pitt.

VAMPIRE LOVERS is pretty typical of Hammer's other erotic horror movies, and as such, is pretty good. It's not real scary despite a few sudden scenes, but generates enough atmosphere to be worthwhile. It was also strange to finally see Peter Cushing playing a vampire killer who's NOT Dr. Van Helsing.

As I understand it, there are other films in this series (all of which were based on the historically evil woman Carmella, rumored to have bathed in the blood of her victims because she thought it would keep her young), which might explain why at least one character (a villainous male vampire) is never destroyed. In fact, he's never really explained.

My only complaint is some of the young actresses, though pretty and willing to show some skin, all look alike. There faces are similar, as are their bodies. Minor complaint though.