Classic Hammer Studios vampire tale. Starring stunning identical twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson as the "Twins of Evil". Both look exactly alike - which one was the twin of evil? Victims of a vampire curse lead to a witch-hunt headed by Peter Cushing, a fanatical Puritan leader of a bizarre religious sect. Only a vampire .. Read more
| Starring | Peter Cushing, Peter Cushing, Mary Collinson, Dennis Price |
|---|---|
| Director | John Hough |
| Genres | Horror |
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Classic Hammer Studios vampire tale. Starring stunning identical twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson as the "Twins of Evil". Both look exactly alike - which one was the twin of evil? Victims of a vampire curse lead to a witch-hunt headed by Peter Cushing, a fanatical Puritan leader of a bizarre religious sect. Only a vampire hunter can save the innocent.
| Starring | Peter Cushing, Peter Cushing, Mary Collinson, Dennis Price, Madeleine Collinson, Isobel Black, Kathleen Byron, Damien Thomas |
|---|---|
| Director | John Hough |
| Studio | CARLTON VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT LTD |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 27 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 07 Feb 2005 Production year: 1971 |
| Format | DVD |
Hammer ransacked J Sheridan Le Fanu's classic terror tale Carmilla for the last time in this completion of its trilogy following The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire. Mary and Madelaine Collinson, Playboy magazine's first twin centrefolds, play which one's the vampire? in a streamlined, if predictable, period piece that's laced with the usual quota of heaving bosoms, blood-red lipstick, lesbianism and gory decapitations. Touches of ethereal gothic atmosphere and a neat funereal flamboyancy make this slick shock package a cut above the rest.
Vampire-chasing Puritans add a little flavour to a routine Hammer horror.
The film begins with an angry mob slaying the child murdering, woman seducing Count Mitterhaus, who with his final words sets a curse on the villagers (all this happens before the opening credits!). The story then skips forwards 15 years and we find that the village is now rife with a deadly plague and is effectively cut off from the outside world. However, into this ravaged village comes a travelling circus which provides the townsfolk with a welcome diversion from the spiralling death rate (not sure a circus with 3 animals is that good!). Unfortunately for the locals the troupe have ulterior motives and their performances aren?t all what they seem?.
I?m in two minds over this Hammer production. Whilst the film continues the shift away from cobweb laden castles and ageing front men, Circus at times feels rushed and it seems to throw everything but the kitchen sink into the picture. The main problem I had was the lack of a charismatic lead, with John Moulder-Brown (who plays Anton Kersh) being particularly annoying. However, this film is worth checking out for there is a wealth of unintentionally hilarious scenes (the death of the vampire siblings being a particular favourite). Not the best Hammer film but you could do a lot worse.
2 and a half out of 5
Crummy sets, 'fog', plastic fangs and comedy blood....what more could you ever require from a film. This really is crap with a capital K!