Vampyros Lesbos
You don't watch Vampyros Lesbos for the plot, but that doesn't mean the 1971 erotic horror doesn't hold some surprises. Shot in Turkey (making great use of interesting locales, set dressing, and lighting), and filmed in German by Spaniard Jesús Franco Manera, the film has a vibe and feel far more memorable than one might expect.
As the film opens, Linda Westinghouse (Ewa Strömberg) is already having dreams about an unknown woman who she then sees in person attending a lurid art show with her boyfriend (Franco). Sent to a nearby island by her firm to handle an inheritance, Linda officially meets Countess Nadine Carody (Soledad Miranda) who seduces and drives Linda mad. However, the lonely vampire turned by Count Dracula centuries before begins to develop feelings for Linda and decides to turn her into a vampire.
An almost completely female-driven script with largely superfluous men such as Linda's boyfriend, Nadine's minion, or largely useless doctors obsessed with vampires, the film has a dreamlike quality where large stretches include no dialogue set to a psychedelic score (which would earn its own cult following leading to a release more than 20 years later). It's erotic horror to be sure, but it's certainly done with flair.
Sadly, not all of the film works. Despite introducing one of Linda's doctors as an expert on the subject, the script refuses to define what a vampire is while ignoring established ideas such as fangs or having Nadine sunbathe. And when turned, Linda doesn't seem to develop any sort of extra strength, vitality, or the ill-defined aspects Nadine shows involving her seductive nature. The final thread of the script, which feels oddly shoehorned in (possibly just to get another naked woman on screen), is another young woman (Heidrun Kussin) driven crazy by her lust for Nadine which drives her husband into a killing frenzy hunting down women tied to her (including eventually Linda).
Given some of the issues of the half-baked script, it's not surprising that the film's ending feels a bit anticlimactic. An experience more than a story, that unapologetically leans into the lesbian love sequences (including going back for second performance of Nadine's stage show involving sexing up a living mannequin), Vampyros Lesbos is worth a look for fans of the genre or of unconventional filmmaking. The new two-disc 4K includes multiple audio commentary tracks on both the 4k and Blu-ray discs, and a number of featurettes featuring interviews with Franco and various film historians.
- Title: Vampyros Lesbos
- IMDb: link
