The year is 1830. It has been forty years since the last case of vampirism terrorised the quaint English hamlet near Karnstein castle. But now the heirs of the Karnstein name have shed the blood of a virgin in a sacrifice that will bring back the dreaded vampire Carmilla, who has been dead since 1710.
Under the anagram name Mircalla, Carmilla takes to a nearby women-only Finishing School where youthful blood is bountiful and her vampirism can go unnoticed, with the assistance of a obsessed headmaster desperate to serve her, a love-stricken and fool-hearty author, and a headmistress desperate to avoid any bad press for her beloved, and profitable, school.
Lust for a Vampire is the second film in Hammer's Karnstein Trilogy. The film remains true to the basic line of the rest of the series. Namely, beautiful female vampires who are out to kill, but also have time for some sexy times and a fair bit of wandering about topless on the side. The theme sounds dreadfully kitschy, and in large part it is. But the films remain entertaining and watch able because of their quality sets, costumes, acting, plot lines, and settings.
It would be easy to bank on gore and sex alone, and undoubtedly Hammer was in the business of trying to catch up with competitors in the genre on those points during this period. But the films retain a feeling of legitimacy nonetheless, because of those quality aspects. Let's face it; there's something to be said for retaining a sense of legitimacy as a film despite operating under a title like Lust for a Vampire.
Noticeably missing from this instalment of the series is Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing, who was apparently caring for his ill wife at the time of shooting and therefore had to be replaced. Still, the cast pulls off its roles well. This includes Carmilla herself, played by the very beautiful, and not untalented, Yutte Stensgaard, whose brief career spanned the late 60's and early 70's and mostly included television programmes. It is not unlikely that this is the best thing her talents were put to use in.
The film does, however, have some down sides. Compared with The Vampire Lovers, and Twins of Evil, Lust for a Vampire is a bit slow going at times. Not painfully, but noticeably. There is also an increased focus on the love story aspect between Carmilla and the hopeless author turned teacher Richard Lestrange. The sound track is also pretty awful. In the end Lust for a Vampire is perhaps the worst of the trilogy, but is still a decent film, especially when compared with modern day vampire film turds such as Twilight.
3 "heart attacks" out of 5
Rated R: contains violence, nudity, sexuality.
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