Somehow, I had never heard of this movie – the first in Hammer Films' Karnstein vampire trilogy – and was certainly too young to see this R-rated movie when it originally came out…
The movie starts in Austria (Duchy of Styria), with a young Baron Hartog (Douglas Wilmer) skulking around a ruined castle, stealing a vampire's burial shroud and then luring the creature close enough to slay it. Meanwhile, the basic rules of vampires are explained: They can only be killed by a wooden stake through the heart or beheading; and they kill for blood, sometimes quickly and sometimes over a period of time.
Fast forward a few decades (1790?) to General von Speilsdorf (Peter Cushing), his beloved niece Laura (Pippa Steel), and a dance at their elegant home in the Austrian countryside. The Countess (Dawn Addams) arrives with her daughter Marcilla (Ingrid Pitt), but a messenger arrives with news that a close friend is dying! The General kindly invites Marcilla as a guest while the Countess must rush away.
Soon, young Laura's health begins to decline. The doctor (Ferdy Mayne) can find nothing wrong. Laura also loses all interest in her boyfriend, and forms a strong attachment to Marcilla…
The story eventually involves the household of Roger Morton (George Cole); his daughter Emma (Madeline Smith), friend of Laura; and her governess, Madame Perrodot (Kate O'Mara).
When the movie was first released, the taglines included:
She's the New Horror from Hammer!
Beautiful temptress …… or Bloodthirsty monster?
even the dead can love.
If you dare… taste the deadly passion of the BLOOD-NYMPHS
An erotic nightmare of tormented lusts that throb in headless, undead bodies!
Carmilla is really queen of lesbian vampires!
So, yes, that's the twist – there's a female vampire who preys on upper-class young women! With kissing, hugging, topless shots, nude back shots, and a disrobing-in-silhouette shot. (According to one of the actresses, they kept giggling during the "sexy" scenes, and the vampire fangs kept falling out and into the cleavage!)
They were all evil and remain evil after death.
There's some gore that is tame by today's standards: decapitations, blood-smeared throats, bite marks on breasts.
This film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America due to the vampire bites inflicted on the women's bosoms.
Surprisingly, Ingrid Pitt was 33 by the time the movie came out, a survivor of WWII concentration camp, and escapee from East Germany! Her exotic looks, accent, and personality make the movie.
You must die! Everybody must die!
Modern audiences may be disturbed by the question of how young the "young lady" victims – shown in varying stages of undress – are supposed to be… but the actresses were in their 20s when the movie came out.
Peter Cushing is elegant and dashing as the General, and gets to show a loving side toward his niece.
Can it be gamed?
You could easily base a campaign around the Karnstein vampire clan versus Austrian vampire hunters, taking a number of characters from this movie (or the fiction the film is based on).
touches up a toy car.
ing Darkness.