Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Britain's Hammer Films, needing new blood for their continuing series of vampire outings, went some years back for inspiration--1871, to be exact, and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanuthic's short story "Carmilla", believed to be one of the earliest works of vampire fiction (26 years before the appearance of Bram Stoker's "Dracula"). In a small Austrian town in the 18th century, a 240-year-old female vampire (Ingrid Pitt) charms her way into the homes of a general (Peter Cushing) and later a nobleman (George Cole), seducing both their comely daughters and leaving her mark above their breasts. Her conquests are overseen by a man on horseback, who acts as her guardian. For genre buffs, a decent bloodsucker; there are a few marvelous scenes (decapitations and lesbian clinches, with much female nudity), but the handling is flat and the acting fairly colorless. Worse, the editing leaves confusion in the narrative, while Harry Robinson's obtrusive, derivative music underlines every other scene with heightened emphasis. Producers Michael Style and Harry Fine quickly followed this "Vampire" with two more: "Lust for a Vampire" in 1971 (without Cushing) and "Twins of Evil" in 1972 (with Cushing). *1/2 from ****

To change with the times Hammer sought out to make a film with more overt sexuality. While Hammer horror films always had beautiful, voluptuous babes with big boobs, Hammer turned up the eroticism(and turned on many!) with the lesbian vampire classic The Vampire Lovers. Starring the stunning and very talented actress Ingrid Pitt and directed by Hammer horror regular Roy Ward Baker. The Vampire Lovers is an excellent film that combines Gothic horror with eroticism, but does so without being too trashy or detracting from the horror element. Ingrid Pitt delivers an amazing performance as Carmilla, a smoking hot vampire vixen that enjoys the company(and blood) of women. Carmilla,indeed has great taste in women and her victim/companion of choice(actress Madeline Smith) is very beautiful and gives an excellent performance also. Roy Ward Baker made a real well acted, great looking Gothic horror film with great ambiance, great score and of course a cameo from the great Peter Cushing as The General. After The Vampire Lovers, Ingrid Pitt also made Countess Dracula for Hammer, which I highly recommend if you enjoy this film. By today's standards the eroticism is not such a big deal, but in 1970 it was a boundary that was pushed by displaying such material. The quality of the film stands the test of time and I got a lot of love for The Vampire Lovers!

Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein (Ingrid Pitt) and her family target the beautiful and the rich a remote area of late 18th century Germany.At only a £165,227 budget, how could they afford to do anything other than hire Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt? The answer, of course, is that these horror icons were not earning the huge salaries their counterparts today are. But Pitt and Cushing are not even the biggest deal here. Although not as well known as Cushing or Pitt, Madeline Smith was a Hammer regular and is half of the "vampire lovers" from the title. She had previously appeared in "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1969) and go on to do "Theatre of Blood" (1972) and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1972) before going even more mainstream as a Bond girl.Further, director Roy Ward Baker is perhaps best known for his work with Hammer and Hammer horror, but actually had a long, distinguished career in Hollywood, including directing the Golden Globe-winning "A Night to Remember" (1958) and a young Marilyn Monroe in "Don't Bother to Knock" (1952).This is seen as a "female-driven film" when seen from a feminist perspective, and more generally thought of as a lesbian vampire film. Pitt says this is not a lesbian film and stresses that "vampires are not lesbians", they are just very physical and passionate. Baker says the producers probably wanted to suggest lesbian themes, but that was never his intention -- he wanted a good film, not a sensational one. He further says the lesbian theme is not in the original story, regardless of what others claim.The audio commentary on the MGM disc features director Roy Ward Baker and actress Ingrid Pitt, which is well worth a listen.

The vampire Countess Carmilla Karnstein makes her way through the Austrian countryside creeping into the households of aristocrats and taking their daughters as victims. The families begin to catch on when a pattern of deaths in the area takes shape. Vampire hunter Baron Hartog is called upon to put an end to Carmilla's wicked ways and end the legacy of terror the Karnstein family is known for.I would like to first comment that I'm not a fan of this sort of risqué entertainment. I steer clear of movies that delve into racier subject matter like this. As a horror film history junkie and huge fan of everything Hammer, "The Vampire Lovers" intrigues me because of its place in a bygone era. I am stupefied that a movie dealing with the "off-limits" ideas it does was even allowed to be shown in theaters in 1970.My main draw to "The Vampire Lovers" is two-fold. First, I love Peter Cushing with all my heart. I've been fascinated with the man since seeing him in "Star Wars" as a child. He commands every scene of every film he appears in no matter how briefly he's on screen. I can't even begin to imagine what such a "perfect gentleman" as Cushing thought when he saw this movie.Secondly, you can't beat the atmosphere of a period piece Hammer film. The sets are wonderfully dreary and Gothic. I absolutely adore the Victorian design and gloriously green exterior shots."The Vampire Lovers" is an essential piece for any collector of Hammer horror films. Although I don't necessarily condone the themes of the movie, it is a fascinating entry in the vampire genre and a unique part of cinema history. I will say this isn't your usual classic 1970's PG gore fest and shouldn't be viewed by young eyes. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/849014/eric_shirey.html