Starring Ralph Bates, Barbara Jefford and Suzanna Leigh
Written by Tudor Gates and directed by Jimmy Sangster
The famous franchises from Hammer are DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY. Then there's the lesser known QUATERMASS trilogy. But did you know there's even another Hammer trilogy? There are three films following the Karnstein family of vampires, two of which I've covered in previous Horrorfests -- the first one, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, and the third one, TWINS OF EVIL.
Unfortunately, this middle entry in the series is the least of them. Like the others, it's about female vampires who prey on other women, so the homoerotic content was the ticket seller (and source of controversy) at the time of release, in the early 70s. Unlike the others, it does not star Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt or a set of bodacious twins.
Good old Ralph Bates is on hand though, as the headmaster of a finishing school. It's a thankless role and pales in comparison to his flamboyant turns as the mad scientists Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. An author of books on witchcraft and black magic infiltrates the school undercover as a teacher when he both suspects one of the students is a vampire and falls in love with her.
The film apparently has a cult following, though some say it's too campy for its own good. I don't know, maybe I was in a bad mood when I watched it or something, but I could have gone with a little more camp, thank you very much.
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