Vampiros lesbos (1971)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Jaime Chávarri (screenplay)
Jaime Chávarri (story)
(more)

Release Date:

15 July 1971 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

A Psycho-Sexadelic Horror Freakout!

Plot:

An erotic horror tale about a vixen vampiress seducing and killing women to appease her insatiable thirst for female blood.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Striptease | Female Vampire | Beautiful Woman | Nudity

Cast

Soledad Miranda	...	Condesa Oskudar
Ewa Strömberg	...	Linda Westinghouse (as Ewa Stromberg)
Dennis Price	...	Dr. Alwin Seward (as Denis Price)
Heidrun Kussin	...	Agra
José Martínez Blanco	...	Morpho (as J. Martinez Blanco)
Paul Muller	...	Dr. Steiner
Michael Berling	...	Dr. Seward's Assistant
Jesus Franco	...	Memmet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Beni Cardoso	...	Dead Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
Jesus Franco		(as Franco Manera)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jaime Chávarri		screenplay
Jaime Chávarri		story
Jesus Franco		screenplay (as Franco Manera)
Anne Settimó		screenplay
Bram Stoker		novel (uncredited)

Produced by
Artur Brauner	....	producer
Karl Heinz Mannchen	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jesus Franco		(as David Khune)
Manfred Hübler		(as Manfred Hubler)
Sigi Schwab		(as Siegfried Schwab)

Cinematography by
Manuel Merino

Film Editing by
Clarissa Ambach

Makeup Department
Jesus Franco	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Rudolf Hertzog	....	production manager (as Rudolph Hertzog Jr.)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicole Guettard	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Editorial Department
María Luisa Soriano	....	editor: Spanish version

Other crew
Nicole Guettard	....	script supervisor (as Nicole Guettard Franco)
José Martínez Blanco	....	voice dubbing: Michael Berling (uncredited)

Production Companies

• CCC Telecine
• Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)
• Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica
• Tele-Cine Film- und Fernsehproduktion

Distributors

• CMV Laservision (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Dolmen Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Exclusivas Floralva Distribución S.A. (1973) (Spain)
• Synapse Films (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Das Mal des Vampirs (West Germany) (working title)
El signo del vampiro
Im Zeichen der Vampire (West Germany) (working title)
Las vampiras (Spain) (cut version)
Lesbian Vampires
Lesbian Vampires: The Heiress of Dracula
Schlechte Zeiten für Vampire (West Germany) (working title)
The Heiress of Dracula
The Heritage of Dracula
The Sign of the Vampire
The Strange Adventure of Jonathan Harker
The Vampire Women
Vampyros Lesbos: Die Erbin des Dracula (West Germany)

Runtime:

89 min | Argentina:91 min

Country:

West Germany | Spain

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 (DVD) | Argentina:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | Australia:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company:

CCC Telecine

Trivia:

Although he is credited as co-writer, Jaime Chávarri claims that he had no participation in the writing of the film's script.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mise-en-abyme (2006)

Soledad Miranda's greatest legacy

This eurohorror classic by Jess Franco stars Soledad Miranda as Countess Nadine Carody, a wealthy recluse who strips at a club in Istanbul. Ewa Strömberg plays a woman who is strangely drawn to the Countess. Nadine appears in Linda's dreams, beckoning her. Linda is then sent to the Nadine's island on a business assignment. The film follows the course of the strange romance between Linda and Nadine. Linda falls under Nadine's spell and a living nightmare soon begins. This film mixes dream and reality in a terrific way. Franco appears as Memmet, a sadistic killer. Soledad is absolutely fantastic in this movie. She's very low-key, yet totally captivating all the same. You'll wish you could be possessed by her! Franco's direction involves crazy zoom shots, interspersed footage of insects (with a scorpion that perhaps is meant to mirror the Countess), and a funky pop-art style. The psychedelic music used throughout the movie was written by Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab. Despite its European success, Vampyros Lesbos never received distribution in the United States. It was long considered the Holy Grail of the European lesbian vampire genre. It was a renaissance in interest in Jess Franco, as well as the chart-topping success of the soundtrack in the '90s, that brought the film back into attention. A must-see for anyone into Soledad Miranda, Jess Franco, or vampire movies!