Ever since I saw Christopher Lee walk across the screen as Count Dracula, I have been a fan of Hammer Film Productions. They consistently make awesome horror films and have a signature way of doing it. Like looking at a painting and knowing it’s Picasso, you can watch a movie and know it’s Hammer. The style is gothic horror usually set in old England, which pairs well with gothic horror. Castles, horse-drawn carriages, ball gowns, etc., are always there and always work with a vampire plot. The Vampire Lovers is another in Hammer’s catalog that continues in this style and is awesome. First, the late Ingrid Pitt. In this movie, she plays a vampire from Germany, which you don’t normally see. I’m not sure about timelines and Pitt’s biography but, she was Polish/British born. Thus, her character’s German accent is perfect. If you think back to Bela Lugosi when he coined the Count Dracula character, his Hungarian accent was unforgettable. This went well with Ingrid’s character, Carmilla Karnstein. It added a classic and unique element to the film.
On one icy cold hand, this story had all the classic vampire elements to it and on the other cold hand, it was unique at the same time. There was a count who ultimately seemed to be the puppet master, although Carmilla was the lead role. Yes, there were stakes, garlic, crucifixes, etc. as are in all classic vampire films. The plot was unique in that it took a “drop a vampire off” approach to the story. Carmilla, due to turns in the story, finds herself staying with different families. While she is a house guest, she is also a hidden vampire. Naturally, a vampire in a gothic horror film does what a vampire in a gothic horror film will do. The castle (pictured below) they used in this film couldn’t have been better either. Wall Hall is a castle in Radlett, England, and made an awesome place for a good vampire story to take place.
Going back to the Hammer consistency, they tended to use a lot of the same actors and actresses. This can be a roll of the dice normally but, Hammer was always on point with it. In this film, the late Peter Cushing played a Van Helsing-type role unique to this vampire story. I can’t quote titles but, I’m sure he played Van Helsing in some of the films that featured Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. As usual, his acting was amazing. I think that Hammer Films had a small group of actors and actresses that were just perfect for what they did. Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Victoria Carlson, and Ingrid Pitt were on this elite team for sure.
You can be sure that if you watch a Hammer film, you are in for a treat. If you like gothic horror, you can’t go wrong with these guys. They are the masters of gothic horror. Some of my favorite films came out of this company. One day, I want to have collected all their films. Everything I’ve seen has been good, especially their work with the classic vampire character.