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Cult director Jess Franco's sexy, psychedelic and surreal vampire tale. Linda (Ewa Stroemberg) falls under the hypnotic spell of Countess Nadine (the beautiful Soledad Miranda). Through dreams, she lures Linda to her secluded island manor, eventually seducing her and biting her neck. Linda awakens in a clinic run by Dr. Seward (Dennis Price), who we later find out wants to use Nadine to become a vampire himself. Countess Nadine is descended from Count Dracula's vampiric bloodline, and she intends on continuing the line through Linda.
Franco uses elements of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Dracula's Guest, Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla, and the legend of Countess Bathory to weave together this gothic vampire story meets hallucinogenic '70s-era kitsch. The swinging lounge/funk/psychedelia-laced soundtrack by Franco himself, along with fellow musicians Manfred Hübler and Sigi Schwab, certainly adds to the energy and ambience of the film. I love Franco's choice of locations too, interiors and exteriors. They fit the dream-like style of the movie. Of course, anyone who's familiar with Jess Franco's films knows to expect frequent "zooms", some "zip pans", and the occasional "herky-jerky" camera moves; but that just comes with the territory, and it's not as noticeable in this film as some of his others.
For those who haven't tried a Franco film, I can't think of a better movie to take your first bite out of than Vampyros Lesbos - except maybe Venus In Furs, which is even better in my opinion. If you don't like either of these two films you might as well skip the rest of Franco's lengthy filmography. Along with Italy's Joe D'Amato and France's Jean Rollin, Jess Franco is to filmmaking what Thunderbird is to fine wine - "An American Classic", you say? No, an acquired taste that's really cheap and sleazy but gets the job done! And once you acquire a hunger for Franco films, you'll keep coming back for more, no matter how bad a taste it leaves in your mouth. Can you say S-A-D-O-M-A-N-I-A? I knew you could. Bottoms up!
7/10
