She's the New Horror from Hammer!

Starring: Ingrid Pitt, Pippa Steel, Madeline Smith, George Cole, Peter Cushing, Dawn Addams, Kate O'Mara, Douglas Wilmer, Jon Finch, Ferdy Mayne

DML Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ - above average

"Vampires are intelligent beings, General. They know when the forces of good are arraigned against them. She will want to rest a long time in her coffin." - Baron Joachim von Hartog

Why watch this? This unique spin on the vampire film is new and quite erotic.

Plot Summary: Based on the classic Gothic novella Carmilla, a seductive female vampire preys on aristocratic women in a remote 19th-century village, weaving a hypnotic web of forbidden desire. A vampire hunter, haunted by his family's past, returns to challenge the supernatural evil as the vampire leaves a trail of mysteriously anemic victims. The erotic terror escalates, blending predatory charm with supernatural horror and a tragic yearning for companionship.

Dad's Preview: As Hammer Films had all but capped the well on the horror genre, a few classics still found their way to sunlight (pun intended). Here, the vampire takes on a female guise, portrayed wonderfully by British scream queen Ingrid Pitt. This is certainly her film, as a being capable of taking the form of a cat and siphoning the life out of her victims. She prefers women, as this sexy horror flick leans heavily into lesbian territory, which adds a freshness to the vampire genre. Pitt delivers the character of Marcilla/Carmilla as both terrifying and sympathetic - a creature who, though blood-thirsty, still painfully yearns for true love, something Hammer's Count Dracula never did. It takes itself serious, and that keeps us engaged. So, be brave, and sink your teeth into this lusty delight.

Hammer Films Productions; Fantale Films; MGM-EMI Distributors