Deeply indebted to Man Bites Dog, this intelligent, challenging, micro-budget chiller manages to remain a distinctive entry in a very crowded genre. It starts with a pretty waitress alone in a diner, who after hearing reports on the radio of an escaped maniac on the loose, is brutally murdered. This scene is aprubtly interrupted by a man talking directly to the viewer. Max, who apologises for taping over the film you were watching, proceeds to introduce his own video diary. He is, he says, "trying to make an intelligent film about murder, while actually doing the murders".
The viewer then follows the charming, affable Max (assisted by a homeless guy he's enlisted as cameraman) as he hosts a dinner party, pops round to see his grandmother, and carries out a series of murders by a variety of brutal methods. In between, Max's eyeball-to-eyeball philosophical conversations with the viewer make for some extremely uncomfortable moments. Kevin Howarth (on screen as Max for 90% of the film) pulls out all the stops to give a mesmerising performance, alternating between easygoing charm and psychotic violence with absolute conviction.
Not an easy film to watch, but I urge you to see it - it will stay with you for quite some time.
Casey Criswell: The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Ingrid Pitt as a lesbian vampire!
Hammer Studios are a mainstay of horror, always standing out first and foremost with an air of regality. The majority of Hammer films are usually period films often centering on vampires and the like. They like you to think they’re classy. However, all of that is nearly always a front to cover up their own unique sense of perverseness as the Hammer Studios always held a stable of buxom babes and they weren’t afraid to use those weapons. The Vampire Lovers is no different!
Led by Ms. Pitt and her twins, the acting in Vampire Lovers is standard Hammer fare. Ms. Pitt acts with an air of distance and age, showing the worldliness of a vampire with ages of knowledge to help her seduce her subjects. Peter Cushing, in a rather small role, stands out solidly as the General and turns in the performance you expect of him. The victims of Ms. Pitt embody the naiveté of their young characters to a T, often awed by the worldly woman presented by Ms. Pitt and her… fangs. The plot in itself is solid, centered on these two loosely connected families both preyed upon by this lesbian Lestat. You are sucked in by the interactions of said families with Ms. Pitt, and their obliviousness to her actions.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Nice job with this Ian. Looks like I'll have to add a couple of films to my must see list.
I can't remember if I've ever seen The Vampire Lovers. I used to watch all those old Hammer Horrors, but lord knows I love a good lesbian caper, but the old memories kind of blended them all together.
The last horror movie sounds fascinating.
2 - Ian Woolstencroft
Thanks Matt.
Vampire Lovers is definitly worth a look. It's based on the famous vampire story Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Apart from the horror films I’ve added to my must watch list (or in a some cases my must watch again list) I also have a burning desire to see Confessions of A Police Commissioner To The District Attorney. I’m guessing it has nothing in common with Confessions of a Window Cleaner.
Thanks to everyone who contributed.
3 - DukeDeMondo
Excellent job in putting this together, Ian, and everyone gave fantastic contributions. Even the choices i disagreed with (particularly Haute Tension, which i hated - and i also consider The Hills Have Eyes remake to be one of the finest action / horror / survival pictures of all ever) i loved reading about.
i really must see Eyes Without A Face. i've wanted to see it for AGES, years and years, but for some reason never have. i'll rememdy this immediately, is what i'll do.
and Friday 13th Part III - nice nice nice. Although part 4 - The Final Chapter, is my personal favourite, closely followed by Jason X, which was just sublime.
4 - El Bicho
Tip o' the hat for taking the lead on this, Ian, and to all the participants. Certainly some interesting choices for the reader's queues.
Enjoy "Eyes," Duke. The movie is timely as face transplants have been making progress. Try to find the Criterion Collection version because the extras contain horrific moments from real life that surpass what the film has to offer.
5 - Chris Beaumont
Nice selection of films! Although I didn't care for The Last Horror Movie.
Uzumaki is brilliant weirdness, and material I would like to see someone like Tim Burton take a stab at should Hollywood get the idea to remake it (which I doubt, a little too weird methinks).
I have copies of Eyes Without A Face (criterion) and Vampire Lovers that I have been meaning to watch....
Haute Tension was awesome until the final "twist" which I did not particularly care for.