Karnstein Trilogy

Every once in a while, the specter of Hammer Films returns from the shadows to haunt me.

This time it possessed me to re-watch the Karnstein trilogy. It's been many years since I saw any of them, and to my surprise I found two of them on Youtube of all places.

Anyway, the Karnstein trilogy is loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novel Carmilla (1871-72), which predates Bram Stokers classic Dracula by twenty-six years, making it one of the earliest western vampire stories. At the time it was somewhat scandalous due to its lesbian content, something the films echo to varying degrees.

The Hammer Films trilogy consists of The Vampire Lovers (1970), Lust for aVampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971). An interesting point is that the third movie is essentially a prequel, since the clothes are distinctly 18^th century, but in Lust for a Vampire they state that the year is 1830. A part from this fact, the chronology is all over the place. Carmillas birth and death dates vary from movie to movie. Not that it matters in the slightest. These movies don't take themselves too seriously, and neither should you.

Overall, the two first films have very similar plot. Mircalla (Carmilla) Karnstein returns from the grave and insinuates herself into the lives of innocent girls in order to feast on their blood. In the third movie, Twins of Evil, she makes only a brief appearance in order to make the current Count Karnstein a vampire.

The Vampire Lovers is really good. Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla is excellent, as she manages to be both vulnerable and predatory at the same time. Essentially she is a very tragic and rather sympathetic figure since she can't help but fall in love with her victims, yet she can't stop herself from devouring them either. The rest of the cast works well, and the movie although slow paced, never gets dull. This is the best in the trilogy by far.

The second movie, Lust for a Vampire, is the weakest. It's still enjoyable and to be fair it's not badly made at all, but the script is weak and most of the actors sleepwalk through the scenes. Ingrid Pitt refused to reprise her role as Carmilla and the role went to Yutte Stensgaard instead. I can't say whether it was the script or the direction, but she made a rather dull Carmilla compared to Ingrid. This is also the only entry in the series that don't feature the late great Peter Cushing, as his wife was sick during filming. I'd say watch it the once.

Twins of Evil is perhaps the most famous, as it stars twin Playboy Playmates, Mary and Madeleine Collinson. The title is a bit misleading, since only one of the girls is evil. Cushing appears again, but in another role from Lovers. Twins is again well made, but unlike the others it is funny. I have no idea if this was an intentional choice by the film makers, but it is at times pretty hilarious. Absolutely worth watching.

A couple of interesting points should be made about the Karnstein vampires. They can walk around during the day all they like, although they prefer to stay in the shadow. Sunlight does nothing to them whatsoever. They are hurt by crosses, annoyed by garlic, and fire is useless. To kill them, you have to stake their hearts and/or behead them. Also, they have to return to their graves but unlike Dracula, it seems they can't take their coffins with them.

A side note on staking: As in all Hammer (and many other) movies, the heart seems to be located somewhere in the abdomen, since that's where the stakes inevitably and up.

I could go on with a more in depth analysis of each movie, but it's better if you watch them yourself. I like them, and if you fancy Gothic Horror, you might too.

Until next time, have a vampire-free week!