User Reviews

With just a few minor changes here and there, "Lust for a Vampire" easily could have been a progressive and even groundbreaking porno-movie! The title is already a-okay, don't you agree? Well so are the settings, locations and female casting choices! The film is largely set in a private school for girls in their late teenage years, and the only conditions of entrance here seem to be luscious behavior and having at least a D-cup. All the male characters are typically weak-minded losers whose actions are exclusively instructed by hormones and even the sensual music emphases the erotic atmosphere. The only thing missing is hardcore sex, in fact. But it's also still somewhat a Gothic Hammer horror movie, loosely based on the works of Sheridan Le Fanu and revolving on the notorious Camilla Karnstein myths. It's the second entry in Hammer's trilogy on the subject matter and unquestionably worse than both "The Vampire Lovers" and "Twins of Evil". This is possibly due to the cast & crew that worked on the film, though. Every avid horror fan (or, at least, avid HAMMER fan) knows that director Jimmy Sangster is not on the same quality level as Terence Fisher, Ralph Bates is no Peter Cushing and Mike Raven is just a pathetic imitator of the almighty Christopher Lee. But still, "Lust of a Vampire" lacks something else. Like a coherent script for example, or Gothic sequences that completely lack suspense. The downright stunningly beautiful Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard stars as Mircalla Herritzen, the indescribably sexy reincarnation of malicious vampire queen Carmilla Karnstein. Simultaneously with her arrival in a little town that lies near a spooky castle, other town girls turn up murdered with suspicious teeth marks in their necks. Tourist and writer Richard LeStrange decides to investigate the events, but he can't resist the gorgeousness of Mircalla's flesh. There are quite a lot of gory moments and (for their time) nasty make-up effects, but if you're hoping for genuine frights you better look elsewhere. In case you're already satisfied with some neatly morbid set pieces and a truckload of authentic sleaze, "Lust for a Vampire" is warmly recommended.

Like THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970), this is one of the most reviled Hammer efforts - but, again, I found it not that bad after all! Still, being one of the countless vampire-themed outings from the studio, it does feel like a tired rehash of better films; actually, it happens to be the middle part of Hammer's "Karnstein Trilogy" (inspired by J. Sheridan Le Fanu's classic short story "Carmilla") - if, admittedly, the least of them. As was the case with THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) and would be again with TWINS OF EVIL (1971), the main behind-the-scenes credits weren't the usual Hammer stalwarts: producers Harry Fine and Michael Style, screenwriter Tudor Gates and composer Harry Robinson. While the latter's score is appropriately grandiose for the most part, the love song - apparently inserted without director Sangster's consent, or even knowledge - is a total embarrassment!

It starts off well enough: all-too-typical material, to be sure, but very atmospheric (Carmilla's reincarnation, for instance, or the scene where hero Michael Johnson is surprised at the dilapidated Karnstein Castle by three cloaked female figures he takes to be vampires) and reasonably entertaining for all that. Other effective moments include: Carmilla's botched seduction of the Suzanna Leigh character; a couple of falls down a well, rendered stylized by the use of slow-motion; and the climax with the vampires trapped inside their flaming castle (lit by the inevitable torch-bearing villagers).

However, following the demise half-way through of top-billed Ralph Bates (yet another impressive turn from Hammer's candidate to replace Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee), the film slowly falls apart; reportedly, Cushing was supposed to have played the scholar/would-be vampire disciple - but I can't help feeling he'd have been both too old and ill-suited for the role. Similarly, Sangster replaced Terence Fisher: it would have been interesting to see Hammer's top director tackle "Carmilla" - but I wonder how he'd have handled the erotic aspects of the story. With its full-frontal nudity and scenes of lesbian love-making, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS had been credited with pushing the boundaries of permissiveness in Hammer horror - and this certainly follows in that tradition, with the script coming up with every possible excuse to have its scrumptious female cast disrobe!

The film does suffer from the lack of a star cast or even those familiar Hammer faces (other than Bates, that is): there's no denying that leading lady Yutte Stensgaard looks great throughout but, ultimately, she makes for an inadequate vampire (since she's depicted as being more pathetic than evil); Suzanna Leigh, then, is an equally attractive heroine; Barbara Jefford and Mike Raven, however, don't exactly ignite the screen as the Karnstein descendants (he was an especially poor choice and Hammer apparently realized this, to the extent that they had his voice dubbed by Valentine Dyall - while close-ups of Christopher Lee's eyes were roped in to 'aid' his character display the requisite fierceness!); Helen Christie is unintentionally funny as the headmistress of the school (where a good deal of the action takes place), who breaks down at ill-fated Police Inspector Harvey Hall's interrogation after a girl goes missing - which she fails to report immediately so as not to damage the school's reputation!

In the Audio Commentary, Sangster explains how he was dismissed by the producers (with whom he never saw eye to eye) during the editing stage. Suzanna Leigh spends more time discussing her career (in particular the actress' brief stint in Hollywood) than her contribution to the film proper, also mentioning her role in an episode of Hammer's JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN (1968-9) TV series - that, incidentally, was entirely filmed in Malta - and, at one point, even describes an out-of-body experience she went through in the mid-70s! However, Leigh does recall the atmosphere on the set of LUST FOR A VAMPIRE as being somewhat tense - with the troupe divided into two camps (one of which was snobbish about the profession, while the other kept a good-humored attitude towards the whole thing). Curiously, no mention is made at all of the film's literary origins - or, for that matter, the fact that it formed part of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy!

"Lust for a Vampire" is the second film in Hammer Studios' "Carmilla" trilogy, also including "The Vampire Lovers" and "Twins of Evil". It's indicative of the direction in which the studio was heading during this time, playing up the sex appeal just as much as the horror content. It also has the added attraction of a tragic, different sort of love story. It's not prime Hammer, but it's certainly watchable, thanks to its blood letting, period atmosphere, and bevy of beautiful women.

The nefarious Karnstein family resurrect the legendary Carmilla - or "Mircalla", in this instance - and she takes up residence at a girls' finishing school in 1830 Austria. Shortly thereafter, a successful author named Richard Lestrange (Michael Johnson) comes to the country, and contrives himself into a teaching position at the school. There he makes the acquaintance of a weak willed instructor, Giles Barton (Ralph Bates), and falls in love with Ms. Mircalla (ravishing blonde Yutte Stensgaard), while some of the local girls go missing.

The title is very apt for this sort of story. The script by Tudor Gates is weak, and not all that interesting, while the direction of frequent Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster is okay if not inspired. One major highlight is the Richard / Carmilla lovemaking scene, but many viewers will be just as happy with the topless shots of some of the actresses. Overall, this all feels pretty familiar, including the finale.

The cast is good. Bates is amusing in a change of pace mousy part, complete with glasses and bad wig. Johnson is likable as the romantic lead. Suzanna Leigh has the right amount of spirit as school employee Janet Playfair. Barbara Jefford is commanding as the conniving Countess. Mike Raven, as the Count, was presumably hired due to a resemblance to Hammer regular Sir Christopher Lee, and he's just sort of there (he's even dubbed, by the distinctively voiced Valentine Dyall). Helen Christie, as ineffective headmistress Miss Simpson, and Harvey Hall, as the understandably angry Inspector Heinrich, are very fine in support.

Viewers who've seen the other films in this trilogy will likely also enjoy this one.

Seven out of 10.

In many ways this movie is little different from other Hammer horror films produced at the time . It has an inn that doesn`t take too kindly to strangers especially ones that don`t believe in vampires , it`s obvious that the " night " scenes were filmed during the day by sticking a blue filter over the camera lens and there`s some really dodgy effects and make up like the very obvious dummy at the film`s climax

What sets LUST FOR A VAMPIRE apart from other British horror movies at the time is some really superb ( For its day ) T&A on display complete with some lesbian kissing . It`s also good to see some old fashioned buxom women who have never heard of the phrase silicone implants . That`s something you don`t see in horror movies nowadays I can tell you

Lust for a Vampire is the second of Hammer's Karnstein films. While the first, The Vampire Lovers, was far from being great, it is a much better movie than this, the first sequel. The acting is weak, the male lead is very unsympathetic, Mike Raven comes across as a Christopher Lee wannabe, the sets are "too clean", and the plot is incredibly predictable. In all honesty, I've probably rated Lust for a Vampire too high. Other than a few good set pieces and Yutte Stensgaard, it's really doesn't have much going for it.

Set Pieces - The scene of Carmilla's resurrection may be one of my favorites from any Hammer movie. It's a wonderful mix of blood, nudity, and some Satanic mumbo-jumbo. The sight of the half-naked Carmilla literally covered in blood is not one that is easily forgotten.

Yutte Stensgaard - The best word I can think of to describe Stensgaard is "stunning". If she's in a scene, I defy anyone (at least any male) to not focus on her. She may not have been much of an actress, but as far as eye-candy goes, she's hard to beat.

While we anxiously await Lesbian Vampire Killers, we can visit a Hammer classic that has loads of naturally endowed women in a finishing school.

While the lesbianism that is inferred is probably just normal boarding school hi-jinks, we are able to enjoy the peaks of pleasure exposed to our view. The vampire Mircalla (Yutte Stensgaard) has plenty of girls to go skinny dipping with.

The teacher Richard (Michael Johnson) is quite taken with the beauty that he fellow teacher (Ralph Bates) believes to be the reincarnation of a Countess that died 120 years previous. Another teacher (Suzanna Leigh) almost buys it after she continues to stick her nose into the problems of dying and missing.

As expected, the villagers finally take matters into their own hands to rid themselves of the problem.

Stick to Hammers' previous Carmilla-like adaptation The Vampire Lovers(1970). Lust for a Vampire is just plain boring in comparison to that film. At this point Hammer was trying to capitalize on their vampire franchise minus Christopher Lee (his eyes appear for about a few seconds at the beginning of this film!)

'Lust for a vampire' is the second film in the Karnstein Trilogy based on the novels by Sheridan le Fanu. The sequel to 'Vampire lovers' starring Ingrid Pitt, and prequel to 'Twins of Evil' starring playboy playmate twins Mary & Madeline smith, 'Lust for a vampire' was hindered in its production from the off set. Legendary Hammer director Terrence Fisher was forced to pull out and Peter Cushing was replaced by Ralph Bates in the lead role. Yutte Stensgaard plays the truly beautiful Mircalla, a lesbian vampire who is torn between her love for her teacher and her lust for blood. This film has a very cosy atmosphere very traditional of hammers work around the late sixties early seventies. The sets are reasonable and although highly criticised for her performance, Yutte does her job well.

I could go on for pages but as an overview I would HIGHLY recommend this film even if it does dabble in as much romance as horror.

"Lust for a Vampire" is the second in Hammer's Karnstein vampire trilogy.The other two were "The Vampire Lovers" and "Twins of Evil".Carmilla Karnstein is revived in a black magic ceremony and enrolls into an exclusive girls' school.Novelist Richard LeStrange is visiting the area in search of the truth behind the legends surrounding nearby Castle Karnstein and falls in love with Mircalla. "Lust for a Vampire" is definitely the weakest of the three films.It offers some moments of eroticism and Ralph Bates is excellent as the intensely creepy Barton.The story is thin,the film is cheap-looking and the pop song used in it 'Strange Love' is glaringly awful.However if you enjoy watching bare female bodies give it a try.7 out of 10.

In 1830 a renowned occult novelist called Richard Le' Strange (Johnson)is taken on to teach English at an exclusive finishing school for young girls in Styria. He falls in love with one of his pupils, the beautiful Mircalla (Stensgaard), but gradually discovers that she may well be the reincarnation of the evil vampire Carmilla Karnstein. Meanwhile in the village that neighbors the school, the locals are living in the grip of fear because it is forty years to the day since the vampiric Karnstein family reincarnated themselves in search of blood and village girls have been going missing.

Hammer's adaptation of Sheridan Le' Fanu's THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) had been successful enough to warrant a sequel, therefore Tudor Gates who had scripted the former was duly approached to script the next one. The result was a rather unsavoury brew of vampirism and lesbianism and veteran Hammer producer-writer Jimmy Sangster who was responsible for such Hammer classics as THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Dracula and THE NANNY was brought in to direct. It was his second outing behind the camera having made his directorial debut in 1970 with Hammer's spoof THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN. This went out on a double bill with Roy Ward Baker's SCARS OF Dracula and only did average business. Whereas Sangster had enjoyed the experience of directing the Frankenstein spoof, he apparently hated LUST FOR A VAMPIRE along with his star Ralph Bates. He and Bates were apparently horrified at the preview screening when they discovered a cheesy pop song had been inserted called STRANGE LOVE sung by an unknown Tracy over the love scene between Johnson and Stensgaard.

Viewed today, LUST FOR A VAMPIRE certainly has it's flaws, for a start there is the inept casting of BBC Radio One disc-jockey Mike Raven as Count Karnstein. His voice was dubbed to make him sound like Christopher Lee and in the reincarnation sequence, a close up of Lee's bloodshot eyes from Dracula HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE was used instead of making Raven wear the red tinted contacts and doing a close up on him. Raven also appeared in Amicus's Jekyll and Hyde film I MONSTER (1971). The film also lacks a convincing hero, Johnson's Richard Le' Strange is little more than a boozy womaniser who is content to chase after a schoolgirl and the basic premise is somewhat crude. The film also shares sets with SCARS OF Dracula, Hammer fanatics will no doubt recognise the somewhat impoverished looking castle set from that picture. Yet there is still some fun to be had here, Bates gives a strong performance as the schoolmaster who lusts after Carmilla and wishes to sell his soul to the devil and Sangster stages the shock scenes with some style, especially the scene in the ruined castle where Carmilla is brought back to life.

LUST FOR A VAMPIRE wasn't all that successful, but Hammer managed to squeeze in a third outing for the Karnstein's, TWINS OF EVIL, which is in it's own right a better film by far.

Good film, really enjoyed when I watch the DVD over the weekend though one thing did spoil it, vampires walking in the daylight! Now I'm sure I didn't miss anything, I was paying attention but Mircalla was a really honest to god vampire, yet mincing around in the sunshine as she did she'd have been a crispy critter in 2 seconds.

Great movie, for all the usual Hammer reasons. I grew up watching the Hammer movies on TV in the 70's and despite the flaws in most of them they'll always be very dear to me. One might hope that with the advent of next gen DVD which will have more than enough capacity it would be nice to have all the Hammer horror movies on one disc. That, as they say would be cool!

I have only seen this film on TV panned and scanned, I look forward to it's region 2 release on DVD. The negatives first~no Cushing, Lee, Ripper or Morell but a silly 'character' performance from Ralph Bates, the leading ladies' makeup changes from shot to shot and the delirious and hilarious performance of the Grande Dame who runs the girls finishing school~simpering and eye popping at the same time. Editing by Saint Vitas. A closeup of Mike Raven replaced by a closeup of the great man Christopher Lee C.B.E. The 1970 hair and makeup and the script in which every line of dialogue begins with the other character's name, eg "Mircalla, I love you"..."No Richard"..."Yes Mircalla" that sort of twaddle. Now the positive~ the main role goes to unknown 'Jason King' look-a-like Michael Johnson and he is really rather good, and as naturalistic as can be expected. Despite the marshmallow soft porn of this late Hammer film it still has that lovely cosy Hammer gothic feel despite obvious painted backdrops for the castle. Mad camera shots framed by Barbara Jefford's bosom and good music. Good fun for late Hammer.

This R-rated vampire film made me laugh. After all, a vampire who died over a hundred years earlier (Countess Carmilla) has been revived and she matriculates at a nearby girls school. While this idea is silly, it's even sillier since the school apparently is only for hot ladies ages 18-25! And, during much of their free time, they spend it dressing and undressing and kissing each other! It was all meant to be very sexy and at times it was, but I also laughed a lot since it was so contrived and clichéd. After all, they sure seemed to come up with so many excuses to get naked! However, despite this silly plot, the film actually was pretty good in many ways. Much of it was, I am sure, due to it being made by Hammer Films--a studio that had already made a bazillion horror films and knew how to get the look right. While it's far from the studio's best, it was pretty good--and a lot better than some of their other 1970s vampire films (such as "The Satanic Rites of Dracula"). And, if you are looking for boobies, then this film should do the trick.

By the way, don't you think the guy vampire looked an awful lot like General Zod from "Superman II"?! And, although not a bad film, get a look at the silly way they killed off Carmilla! Pretty dumb and pretty convenient!!

Lust For A Vampire is the 2nd film in Hammer's Karnstein trilogy. Although, it is definitely the least of the 3, it still is very enjoyable and has a lot going for it. The story and editing is pretty choppy and incoherent at times and is the least well made of all three films. However, the period costumes and the Hammer sets look great and that is not all that looks great...lots of gorgeous gals lead by the stunning beauty Yutte Stensgaard as leading vampire vixen Mircalla. Spooky atmosphere, naked breasts and(for the time period) pushing the envelope on blood and gore, this unfairly maligned movie delivers the goods. A bit more trashy than most of Hammer's previous output and a little less cohesive, I still found a lot to enjoy with this erotic horror classic. Had this been directed by Terrance Fisher as originally intended this probably would have came out better. Even though last minute director Jimmy Sangster slams the finished product, it is not nearly as bad as he would lead you to believe. If the production was not so rushed, the finished product would have been better. Taking those factors into consideration, Lust For A Vampire aged pretty well and I still like it a lot despite some of its flaws.

The lesbian vampire was invented in 1872 by the Irish writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu in his novella "Carmilla". Of course, Victorian codes of literary propriety forbade direct discussion of sexual matters, so the lesbianism in his story is implied rather than explicit, but anyone reading it will be left in no doubt that Le Fanu's anti-heroine is romantically attracted to her own sex. It was, however, to be nearly a century before the cinema could take advantage of his invention. Victorian values persisted long after the end of the Victorian era, with the Hollywood of the Production Code being one of their last bastions, and until the 1960s making a film about lesbian vampires would have been as unthinkable as making a film about lesbian anything else. Cinematic vampires were generally male and sexless; I doubt if anyone ever regarded Bela Lugosi as a sex symbol.

With the coming of the permissive society, however, things changed. Cinematic vampires no longer had to be gaunt, cadaverous, Transylvanian Counts but could now be sexy, voluptuous young ladies with a fondness for other sexy, voluptuous young ladies. ("Fangs for the Mammaries"....) Hammer's "The Vampire Lovers" from 1970 is a film of this type. This blend of horror and eroticism was popular at the box office so hammer decided to make a sequel. The fact that Le Fanu had not actually written a sequel to "Carmilla" proved no drawback, and the studio concocted a plot in which Carmilla Karnstein, having been restored to life through the use of diabolical magic, becomes a pupil at a girls' finishing school under the name "Mircalla", where she proceeds to wreak havoc among the other pupils, the staff and the inhabitants of the nearby village. Hammer were later to make a third film in the so-called Karnstein Trilogy, "Twins of Evil", although this film does not feature either lesbianism or the character of Carmilla.

Miss Simpson's academy is the sort of fantasy girls boarding school beloved of erotic film-makers- it operates a strictly selective admissions policy, with selection taking place on the basis of looks rather than academic ability, the students are allowed to stay at school until their late twenties rather than leaving at eighteen, the gym mistress is as youthful as any of her pupils, and the school uniform (improbably, given that the action is supposed to take place in 1830) consists of the flimsiest, most diaphanous robes imaginable. The sex scenes are fairly tame, although there is plenty of toplessness and a couple of brief scenes of full nudity.

Today there is a tendency in literature and the cinema to make vampires sympathetic. If "The Vampire Lovers" were to be remade today it would probably resemble a Sapphic version of "Twilight" with Carmilla, now a heroine rather than anti-heroine, portrayed as a soulful, sensitive, misunderstood creature, deeply in love with her mortal girlfriend Laura. This tendency, however, had not yet got going in the seventies, so the vampires in the Karnstein trilogy, although sexy, are still portrayed as evil, murderous creatures in league with the devil. Indeed, they are more evil than they were in Le Fanu's story, where Carmilla is portrayed as morally ambiguous.

"Lust for a Vampire" does not feature any of Hammer's major stars. Ingrid Pitt, who had played Carmilla in "The Vampire Lovers", was offered the same role here but turned it down, possibly because she realised that, at 34, she would not make a very convincing schoolgirl. The part went instead to an otherwise obscure Danish actress named Yutte Stensgaard. Peter Cushing was forced to withdraw from the film because of his wife's illness. Christopher Lee does not appear here (or, indeed, in any of the trilogy), but Mike Raven, better known as a radio DJ, does a sort of Lee impersonation as Count Karnstein. The film's best-known actor is Ralph Bates, something of a horror specialist, who is given top billing even though his is only a supporting role and his character dies early on.

The film was popular when it first came out, largely because of its erotic content, but today it looks like the weakest of the Karnstein trilogy. "The Vampire Lovers" at least had the advantage of being a reasonably faithful adaptation of a literary classic, albeit the lesbian theme far more explicit than in the original, and Pitt is splendidly seductive in the main role. "Twins of Evil" has its faults, notably the casting of the talentless Collinson sisters, but it does have a good performance from Cushing and raises some surprisingly pertinent points, for a Hammer horror flick, about religious fanaticism and the nature of evil.

"Lust For a Vampire", by comparison, is poorly acted with a cliché- ridden and rather silly plot. Yutte Stensgaard, although striking- looking, had neither the talent nor the charisma of Pitt, and it is easy to understand why her acting career was so brief. (Having a name that was unpronounceable to anyone not fluent in Danish probably didn't help. Indeed, given that "Yutte" was a partial anglicisation of her real Christian name, Jytte, even Danes might have been at a loss as to how to pronounce it). Michael Johnson as the main male character Richard Lestrange is bland and uninteresting. The film still enjoys something of a cult following, chiefly among those who judge a film's artistic merits by the number of scantily-clad girls on display, but judged by any other standards "Lust For a Vampire" is a disappointment. 4/10

A goof. Arthur Biggs (a character who appears only in one scene) introduces himself as an "avant-garde writer", even though the phrase "avant-garde" was not used in this sense as early as 1830.

The absolutely stunning Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard stars as the vampire seductress Mircalla in Hammer films part two of the "Carmilla Karnstein" trilogy. Not a great film but a worthy one for all Hammer/British horror film fans. Originally to be directed by the ace of gothic horror, Terence Fisher, he was injured in a car accident just days before filming started. A good/decent film from Jimmy Sangster, but one thinks of what it could have been in Fisher's hands. MUST viewing for all Yutte fans and fans to be.

Those were Jimmy Sangsters words.He was only roped in because Terence Fisher withdraw.In his book he does not have a kind word for the script,actors and producers.I would agree with him.