Lust for a Vampire

Lust for a Vampire (1971) is another Hammer classic vampire story. It was to have been directed by Terence Fisher, who did the first in the Carmilla Karnstein trilogy. Most of the available information says that he was injured in a traffic accident, and was replaced by Jimmy Sangster. I suppose traffic accident is technically true, but not the "whole truth." Seems he was fond of getting royally pissed at the local pub, then playing chicken by dashing across the street through traffic. This time, the traffic won.

NUDITY REPORT

see the main commentary

DVD info from Amazon.

Widescreen anamorphic, 1.77:1
Full-length director/star/historian commentary
good transfer

The film stars Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard as the Vampire seductress who seduces professor Ralph Bates, along with several other men and fellow schoolgirls. She shows her breasts in several scenes, as do several unknowns. Suzanna Leigh as Janet Playfair, the gym teacher has a very good see-through as well. The film is worth watching if for no other reason than Yutte, and most of it is shot in good light. As for plot, what can I say? It is a vampire film, so lots of necks get bitten, then the townsfolk rise up against the vampires.

The Critics Vote

Maltin 1.5/4

The People Vote ...

With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 4.9

IMDb guideline: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence, about like three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, about like two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, about like two stars from the critics. Films under five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film, equivalent to about one and a half stars from the critics or less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

Based on this description, this film is a C. OK genre fare.