It’s fifty years since the studio affectionately known as Hammer Horror began making movies to scare the panties off their busty heroines! As part of the celebrations, a few words devoted to one of the company’s finest vampire offerings, screened on BBC Two in the small hours of Saturday morning, seem appropriate. Unlike the “Dracula” series, with director John Hough’s “Twins of Evil”, released in 1971, the inspiration isn’t from the pen of Bram Stoker but J Sheridan Le Fanu, albeit interpreted rather loosely. It’s the last in a trilogy of films centring on the legend of the Countess Mircalla/Carmilla/Marcilla Karnstein, begun with “The Vampire Lovers”, continued through “Lust for a Vampire”, and my favourite movie to feature the much-missed Peter Cushing. Here, though, he isn’t playing Van Helsing but a witch hunter called Gustav Weil, rather in the mould of the “Witchfinder General”.
The beauty of “Twins of Evil” is in the blurring of lines between who is the hunter and who the hunted. Good and evil are Twins of the same coin when both lead to the deaths of innocent young women (if there is such a thing!). The title, taken more literally, stars real life twins and “Playboy” playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson, as Maria and Frieda Gellhorn, who, while undeniably stunning to look at, aren’t exactly the world’s finest actresses. But, the young women more than visually compensate, for any minor verbal inadequacies, and contribute to making “Twins of Evil” a very stylish and sumptuous picture. Harry (credited as Robinson) Robertson’s incidental music strangely makes the film feel like a western at times and, amongst the many delights on offer, concludes with the gruesome decapitation of one of the sisters! But, which one? A gloriously gorgeous gallery and a tantalisingly titillating trailer can be found on my “Jukebox”!!
The beauty of “Twins of Evil” is in the blurring of lines between who is the hunter and who the hunted. Good and evil are Twins of the same coin when both lead to the deaths of innocent young women (if there is such a thing!). The title, taken more literally, stars real life twins and “Playboy” playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson, as Maria and Frieda Gellhorn, who, while undeniably stunning to look at, aren’t exactly the world’s finest actresses. But, the young women more than visually compensate, for any minor verbal inadequacies, and contribute to making “Twins of Evil” a very stylish and sumptuous picture. Harry (credited as Robinson) Robertson’s incidental music strangely makes the film feel like a western at times and, amongst the many delights on offer, concludes with the gruesome decapitation of one of the sisters! But, which one? A gloriously gorgeous gallery and a tantalisingly titillating trailer can be found on my “Jukebox”!!
8 comments:
Wow. For the first time ever Blogger presented me with a content warning before allowing me to view your blog! Now that has to be an accolade!
I switched the content warning on, Steve, in case anyone is offended by the sight of a bare breast!
You've gone all 18 rated (R in the states).
I'm used to coming across a different sort of site with a content warning. Oh, bad word choice.
I have the featured Hammer film, it's totally bonkers but has a few good parts.
To be honest, Michael, I wasn't really sure if Hammer Horror constitutes "Adult" content. The films were once rated 18 but the DVDs are mostly rated 15, these days! Anyway, I've changed my mind and switched the warning notice off because it's not as if there's anything regarded as pornographic on my blog!!
As for the movie itself, I love "Twins of Evil". It's my second favourite Hammer Horror, my favourite being "Taste the Blood of Dracula"! Good to see the advent of modern horror reach 50!!
Who could possibly be offended by a pair of breasts?!?
I bet if you were to expose the odd bit of female flesh on your blog, Steve, you'd lose half your female readership! For some strange reason, many people seem more offended by a bare buttock than they do someone having their eye skewered out with a pencil, as in the new Batman film!!
You're right but I'd know what I'd rather see. And a HB doesn't come into it!
I prefer Ingrid Bergman to Humphrey Bogart, too! "Here's looking at you, kid."!!
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