With just a few minor changes here and there, "Lust for a Vampire" easily could have been a progressive and even groundbreaking porno-movie! The title is already a-okay, don't you agree? Well so are the settings, locations and female casting choices! The film is largely set in a private school for girls in their late teenage years, and the only conditions of entrance here seem to be luscious behavior and having at least a D-cup. All the male characters are typically weak-minded losers whose actions are exclusively instructed by hormones and even the sensual music emphases the erotic atmosphere. The only thing missing is hardcore sex, in fact. But it's also still somewhat a Gothic Hammer horror movie, loosely based on the works of Sheridan Le Fanu and revolving on the notorious Camilla Karnstein myths. It's the second entry in Hammer's trilogy on the subject matter and unquestionably worse than both "The Vampire Lovers" and "Twins of Evil". This is possibly due to the cast & crew that worked on the film, though. Every avid horror fan (or, at least, avid HAMMER fan) knows that director Jimmy Sangster is not on the same quality level as Terence Fisher, Ralph Bates is no Peter Cushing and Mike Raven is just a pathetic imitator of the almighty Christopher Lee. But still, "Lust of a Vampire" lacks something else. Like a coherent script for example, or Gothic sequences that completely lack suspense. The downright stunningly beautiful Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard stars as Mircalla Herritzen, the indescribably sexy reincarnation of malicious vampire queen Carmilla Karnstein. Simultaneously with her arrival in a little town that lies near a spooky castle, other town girls turn up murdered with suspicious teeth marks in their necks. Tourist and writer Richard LeStrange decides to investigate the events, but he can't resist the gorgeousness of Mircalla's flesh. There are quite a lot of gory moments and (for their time) nasty make-up effects, but if you're hoping for genuine frights you better look elsewhere. In case you're already satisfied with some neatly morbid set pieces and a truckload of authentic sleaze, "Lust for a Vampire" is warmly recommended.
Review of Lust for a Vampire
