Customer Reviews

Female Vampire

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Female Vampire was the first film Jess Franco made after the death of his star and lover, Soledad Miranda, and the film is a haunting and mournful examination of fate and loss. On the surface there does not seem much to warrnt the very high opinion I have of this film: the dialogue is ludicrous, often pretentious, and the acting merely passable, at best. Viewed as horror or porno the film would seem to have none of the qualities we desire from either of those genres: deliberate pacing, various props to create atmosphere, an internal logic, no matter how warped. So while it may seem immediately facile to say so I think this film has more in common with 60's and 70's avant-garde that with, say, Hammer, or Corman. Stan Brakhage came to my mind after watching Female Vampire. Both Brakhage and Franco are obsessed with film as a purely visual medium, but whereas Brakhage sought to reproduce the way the mechanism of the eye perceives information, without interpreting the stimuli, Franco is more concerned with the memory's hold on what the eye takes in. Franco's camerawork can only be described as insatiable--it is the most tactile and grasping use of the lens imaginable. The line on Franco is, and you hear it repeated over and over, that he 'overuses the zoom lens' but he does so, I feel, to imbue the film's space with consciousness, to feel every inch of the subject in the lens (usually the luscious Lina Romay). But like all vampires, Jess Franco's starving eye can never hold, keep, or own, that which it craves so desperately, namely lost Soledad, the pulsing blood of time itself. . . .

That Jess Franco sure was wacky. This ultra-sexy 70's vamp flick probably arouses me more than any modern softcore film, but it's still not as good as Vampire Femmes or Vampyres. The woman here isn't really a vampire in the monster sense of the word. She's more of an energy sucker, kills by sucking sexual energy from her victims. The bad acting will get on some's nerves, and the plot is ludicrous, but if you buy this film to begin with, you can't expect Citizen Kane. A good b-movie sexfest.

It never fails that every time I experience this film, and I've seen it now about three times in the past year, it produces a vastly different reaction each time I view it. I bounce from absolute admiration for Franco's directorial style, dreamy camerawork and musical score, and committed performances from the cast, to thinking that this is nothing but a cheap, porno-wanna-be-flick with absolutely nothing to do with "vampires", and no artistic integrity whatsoever. Fortunately, the positive vibes win out over the negative and I, once again, admire this film and all that is right and wrong with it. If I fail to make sense, well good then, because neither does this flick. Ms. Romay is, to say the least, totally uninhibited as she romps about the beautifully filmed outdoor scenes while a Chopin-like score lusciously underscores her every movement. Her scenes with the bed posts are, er...., quite a moment in the Euro-Erotic field, and the way she swishes and moves about on her bed like a pent-up, totally horny young woman about to have an orgasm for the first time is, well...... something to see. I love the moments of male frontal nudity, especially a scene where Ms. Romay is seducing a hotel masseur. The simulated sex is quite laughable, especially since our young man can't seem to "get it up". This is quite an atmospheric film and, if you love your 70's horror/vampire flicks, I think you will find much to admire in this one.
Luigi - NYC

The new IMAGE DVD of Jess Franco's "Female Vampire" is a welcome addition to any Francophile or euro-horror fan's collection. The movie reeks with an ethereal mood and pace and the euro-lounge theme music (played through about 90% of the flick!) is catchy and will haunt you long afterwards. Irina the lonely vampire goes from one victim to the next --- that's about it for story --- but who cares! This is Franco at his best! Be forewarned --- this is definitely a Very Mature movie so keep the young ones away! Released in a few different versions over the years, this 101 minute version is closest to "The Loves of Irina" version once released on VHS by Private Screenings. Alternate scenes from the "Erotikill" version are included as a supplement (app. 8 minutes) and basically include all the attack scenes which show Irina drinking blood. For some reason, the alternate scenes are not in chronological order. The movie is letterboxed at 2.35:1 and looks fine, but some shots seem to be over matted (but maybe that's just the way it is). Image quality is a bit soft and there are two moments of print damage (streaking of image for app. 30 seconds -sprocket hole damage?), but basically it's a very nice presentation and a MUST BUY!!! The DVD also has one trailer (in French only).

Great flick but Image has done it again. Cut the film of ahardcore scene so the can sell more copies. The print itself is so full of flaws that it's like watching a video. Did Image ever hear of REMASTERING! Don't get this watered down piece of !

For those of you who are fans of Lena Lomay (you might have seen her in another Jess Franco flick "Ilsa, the Wicked Warden"), then you'll want to get this one if you enjoy seeing her charms. (And by "charms" I don't mean acting talent. Her body does all the work for her.) First of all, this is not really a vampire flick. If you are looking for a good vampire movie, search elsewhere; but if you are looking to see a constantly naked and writhing Lena Lomay, then get this Euro-flick. She'll make you forget all about the plot of the movie. (Wait....this movie has no plot to begin with.) Anyway, there are some really good shots of her in this film (some with legs in the "eagle" fashion), and throughout the entire movie, she behaves like a nympho on steroids--she just can't get enough. The sex scenes themselves are pretty lousy, but like I said, this film is all about seeing HER. If you are a fan of the female form, then this flick is a huge chunk of eye candy, Lena Lomay style.

I do not know what everyone is talking about. If the cut scenes included on this dvd are all that remain of the so-called "horror only" version. They do not show much more. In the "porno only" version which, I gather, is this 101 minute dvd, Vampire Countess Irina - sucks the genitalia of both her male and female victims, and yes!, they do not show much, no blood. For example, she goes down on her first male victim, and literally sucks the life out of him, but again they do not show any blood, or the sex act. We are to use our imagination. But I watched the extra scenes of the so-called "horror only"; and the difference is she sucks there necks, like in traditional vampire movies, and when she lifts her head off her victims her mouth is filled or smeared with blood. Is that it??

So essentially, I preferred this "porno only" version. One more thing in the "horror only" version she wears a different garment, in other words, she is more covered up. In the porno version she practically walks around nude throughout the entire film. But in these extra scenes she has a garment, and Franco has used them in other places. A garment that covers the front and back but is open on the sides, albeit very sexy.

So again, if the extra scenes contained on this dvd, are all that the horror version consist of, we are not missing that much!!!!!!

While many Francophiles sing the praises of Vampyros Lesbos or one of the director's several Dr. Orloff's ripoffs, it's Female Vampire that enshrines this director in the pantheon. Released in several forms--including one that featured hardcore inserts and one that removed the vampire element altogether--Female Vampire tells the story of Countess Irinia, a mute vampire who wanders through the movie jaded, bored and weary. The beautiful Lena Romay brings an astounding interpretation to this character, even more impressive considering she has no dialogue. Though fans of Franco will find his usual exploitation staples here, everything's handled extremely artfully. This has to be the loneliest vampire film ever made and Romay conveys an unforgettable sense of loss, world-weariness and longing.

When you look at the coverart of this DVD, you would expect a horror movie. But instead of that, you get tons of boring nudity, no atmosphere and no real vampires. Yes, it's cut, nearly all the horror of the original version "Erotikill / Black Countess" has been removed. The female vampire in this movie doesn't kill with her fangs... Jess Franco directed some nice movies in the past : I can recommend "Awfull dr. Orloff" and "Bloody Judge", but he has made a lot of worthless trash too. Avoid if you are a horror fan. The additional footage (ten minutes) of the horror only version is definitely not enough... They should have made a DVD with the complete horror version!

OK ... I know a lot of folks are going to think I am just an uneducated and uncultured American, but this movie was HORRIBLE. I am a HUGE fan of 60s and 70s horror movies and vampire movies in particular and this was neither.



Our heroine(?) seemed to be able to transform herself into a bat and fed on the life force and sexual fluids of her victims (both male and female) but that is where the vampire theme ended. The last member of the Karnstein family, she believes herself to be cursed and cannot find love without killing her paramours. OK, now you know about as much of the plot as you are ever going to find out. No fangs, walking around in the daylight, no fear of religious symbols (which seemed to be mysteriously lacking), none of the traditional vampire traits other than a trail of bodies.



Basically this movie is soft-core porn. The french title translated roughly to "The Countess with bare breast" and our heroine is rarely seen wearing anything except a cape, belt and over-the-knee length boots. She has 1 other outfit to wear but no one seems to ever notice the fact she is allergic to fabric. And the shame of it is the love scenes are so horribly done, with the actress'es hair covering her lover's genitalia 90% of the time. 100% of the time would be an improvement because we could actually believe the love scene if it weren't for the times we see a flaccid penis hanging 3-4 inches below her bottom lip. Bad bad bad editing.



And the storyline? Well, it is not remotely horror. There is nothing scary about it! No frights, no suspense, no mystery, no plot twists, every action can be seen a mile away and by the time it happens you are bored waiting for it to happen. There seemed to be an investigator and a coroner investigating the murders, but do they ever meet our vampire? Well, the coroner sees her in her bathtub, but thats all.



I think I have finally found a movie worse than Satan's Cheerleaders. At least it was camp.