Undescribable Perfection

hyped garbage

Excellent but underrated film

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I vaguely remembered this movie from watching Elvira ( Mistress of the Dark) back in the early 80's. So this movie must have been categorized as a low-budget amateur production for being featured as a relic on Elvira. But it did strike a chord with me since I remember the creepy villain, Lemora, and her prurient obsession with this nubile girl. Perhaps it was the sexual innuendo that drew my attention. But I was only a teenager at the time so I was undergoing the early stages of my sexual awakening and couldn't form my thoughts about this theme.Fast-forward 30 plus years later and I notice this movie on Youtube under some 1970's Horror video of some sort. It was then I had to watch this movie to satisfy that vague memory that left me latently curious. I have to say that the overall idea of the Vampire lesbian was enticing. The atmosphere, as noted numerous times by other reviewers, is remarkable considering the production's meagre budget. But the plot has a couple of problems that don't follow through with the initial setting. The gangster fugitive never gets resolved. It only serves as a premise to lead our nubile character, Lila Lee, into an inexplicable and random world of evil and witchcraft. The zombie characters that roam the forest and attack readily are unclear to me. Are they helpers of the Vampire Lemora or are they just wandering mutants to serve as haunting background? I understand that this is a morality tale that shows how the holy are tempted into sin and that evil can ruin anyone's salvation, but the meandering pace and deliberate tempo seemed to drag. The standout of the film is the presence and performance of Lesley Taplin, Lemora. She has a truly unnerving and frightening presence. Her skeletal features, deep-set eyes and black coif are enough to affect the most unshakable viewers. Watching her overpower and seduce the fragile Lila is curiously sinister and uncanny. Her purpose is to make this young and angelic girl her bitch and transform her into one of her everlasting victims. The set designs, lighting and camera angles are quite effective as well. The sound effects are horrifying and chilling, if not a bit over the top. Cheryl Smith's performance is adequate if not totally bland. But she is too pale and thin to pass off as some sexually enticing dish. Sorry, but this was a miscast. The finale was just a ridiculous mess. It simply didn't work. Watching those vampires, dawned in black cloaks and brim hats, bounding over church goers in slow motion didn't make sense on a logical or even a symbolic level.

I caught this film on TCM last night and it stuck with me throughout the day. The idea of the young girl going off alone, on a perilous journey, is nicely portrayed, and feels very authentic. They actually accomplished a lot on such a limited budget: the lighting, sound, costumes, makeup, and music are creepy, and there is some inventive camera work that I can't quite figure out how they achieved with the huge, bulky cameras of the 70s. If the laughing children don't give you the heebie-jeebies, the singing old woman will have you checking your closet before you go to bed. Lesley Taplin as the titular character is marvelous, filled with a self-assured confidence that makes you regret her limited roles; surely the films of the 70s, 80s, & 90s could have found prominent roles for this talented woman with a unique face.Unfortunately there is some horrible acting that ruins any buzz you might get from this dark, atmospheric film, chiefly among them Richard Blackburn as the reverend. Still, I think this is a pretty entertaining film for a dark night.

Seems to me a bit overrated on IMDb based on the reviews I have read. I did not get around to seeing this movie until recently, even though I am a veteran movie buff who has seen many hundreds of 70s films and most of the horror ones. Lemora has some OK atmosphere and lots of things jumping out of the screen, but it will ultimately have little impact on today's modern movie viewer. The action and the scenes become quite redundant after about 20 minutes, and the ending is obvious and inevitable. I did like some of the "70s horror atmosphere" and the curiosity/cultish feel to the whole thing, but again, unless this alone can carry a film for you, which for me it increasingly does not, I would skip it or watch it while doing something else. 5 out of 10 rating means below average to average.

The film is set in Georgia of the 1920s. Sweet innocent 13 year old Lila Lee (Cheryl Smith) goes to visit her sick father. Unknown to her it's a trap all set up by Lemora (Lesley Gilb) a woman vampire with distinct lesbian tendencies. Will Lila Lee fall into her clutches or escape? I caught this originally on late night TV many years ago. The print was faded, in terrible condition and (slightly) edited--but I knew I was seeing something different. I didn't see the whole thing--I was exhausted (it started at 1 am) and I couldn't stay awake...but it never left me. Now it's finally available in a truly stunning transfer by Synapse. The picture and sound are crystal clear and the colors very vivid.The film is very creepy--there are a LOT of sexual innuendos thrown at Lila at the beginning (but it IS needed for the story). The lesbian touches are there but not explicit--this movie is very PG (no blood, gore, nudity or swearing). Still they come through and actually help the movie. The low budget this film was made on shows often but it works in the films favor. There's atmospheric lighting, eerie sounds, creepy settings and a nonstop feeling of dread. Also Gilb is VERY imposing as Lemora. Despite the rating this is an adult movie--as others have said--a fairy tale for adults.There are plenty of things wrong with this however. The script wanders all over the place (but then fairy tales do too), the ending drags a bit and the acting is terrible all around (Smith is bland and Gilb's acting is SO bad I was giggling at times). Still, despite all that it works. A one of a kind vampire movie. Not for everybody. I give it a 9.