THE VAMPIRES OF 1970 (COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE LOVERS, DARK SHADOWS, DRACULA, NUDE VAMPIRE)

COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE (1970) d. Bob Kelljan (USA)
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) d. Dan Curtis (USA)
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) d. Roy Ward Baker (UK)
COUNT DRACULA (1970) d. Jesus Franco (Spain)
THE NUDE VAMPIRE (1970) d. Jean Rollin (France)

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1970 was a landmark for vampire cinema. No longer confined to fog-shrouded castles or Victorian settings, vampires were reimagined through the lenses of filmmakers across the U.S. and Europe, allowing the vampire mythos to explore shifting cultural and political attitudes with more sex, skin, and blood on full display. Tonight we’ll be looking at five significant films released that year, each offering a unique and transgressive spin on the undead.

THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) Blu-ray Review

The Vampire Lovers (1970) d. Roy Ward Baker (UK) (88 min)

In the late 18th Century, in the Austrian province of Styria, General Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) holds a ball celebrating the birthday of his daughter Laura (Pippa Steele), who is engaged to the handsome Carl (Jon Finch). He is pleasantly surprised to see his old friend the Countess (Dawn Addams) along with her daughter, Marcilla (Ingrid Pitt), in attendance. When the Countess is called away to attend to a sick friend, Spielsdorf and Laura agree to care for Marcilla, with the two young ladies growing deeply attached. Sadly, Laura immediately falls ill to a wasting disease, punctuated by nightmares of being smothered by a large gray cat, and dies shortly thereafter, with Marcilla disappearing mysteriously into the night. Spielsdorf’s distant neighbor, Roger Morton (George Cole), comes across the aftermath of a carriage accident and takes in the passenger, Carmilla… who uncannily resembles Marcilla. Soon, Morton’s daughter Emma (Madeline Smith) is also under the exotic young woman’s spell and begins to experience the same nightmares and diminishing health. Meanwhile, the General, through his friend Baron Hartog (Douglas Wilmer), learns of the Karnsteins, an ancient family of vampires, and begins to put two and two (fangs) together….

Fool's Views (6/7 – 6/13) (HAIKU STYLE!)

Hello, my friends,

Well, it’s official, true believers. I’m giving up trying to write anything coherent for a while. Truth of the matter is that the Doc has accepted a full-time D-A-Y J-O-B and for the time being, it looks as though my time and energy will be consumed by said employer. It’s a strange place to be, having not punched a clock or sat in a cubicle for nearly 15 years. But the lure of staying in town after several years of being oft on the road, combined with a regular (and semi-healthy) paycheck, resonated somehow. In other words, yes, I’ve sold out.

I kept thinking that I would eventually find the opportunity and inspiration to catch up on the "legit" Views, but instead I just keep falling further and further behind. True, this occurred back at the tail end of last year and I managed to pull it together, but that was with a load of post-holiday spare time on my hands. Unfortunately, spare time seems to be the last thing coming down the pike for a spell.

Therefore, I’m going to catch up on the last two months by undergoing a rather radical change in format, as the sponsors call it: Below is my list of recent views…with accompanying haiku. Perhaps not the wisest critical decision ever made, but hopefully it will prove diverting enough. (I know I’m having fun.) ;-]

That said, I’m still more than happy to keep the dialogue going, so if you see a flick that you recognize or are curious about, please feel free to toss in your two cents – change back will be given promptly and with a smile.

Enjoy!