THE STATE OF THE GENRE

When I first heard about the forthcoming British horror-comedy LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS, starring Paul McGann from DOCTOR WHO and James Corden and Mathew Horne from the outstanding Britcom GAVIN & STACEY, I was very excited. Not just because I love DOCTOR WHO and GAVIN & STACEY, and not just because I love British horror-comedies like SHAUN OF THE DEAD. No, I was excited because I love lesbian vampire movies.

Perhaps I should explain. In the real world, gender identity and sexual orientation tend to be life-defining. Being gay or bisexual can make you a part of a particular culture that others don't have access to. It's a life that comes with its own set of challenges and triumphs. But in lesbian vampire movies, let's face it, it's really just about pretty girls getting their boobs out. There's rarely any political or social subtext. Lesbian vampires -- just like the straight ones-- are about fantasy, not reality. And who doesn't like a sexy good time now and then?

Not that all lesbian vampire movies are winners, mind you. Jess Franco's notorious VAMPYROS LESBOS (1971) and Jean Rollins' LIVING DEAD GIRL (1982) may be considered classics of the subgenre, but anyone who's seen them knows how tedious they are to sit through. The plotting, the visuals, the acting, they all conspire to make the movies almost unwatchable. Almost. Of course, what keeps us watching -- or at least keeps me watching -- is the copious amount of beautiful skin on display. (Hey, I'm not proud, I'm just telling it like it is!) Lesbian vampire movies, especially those from Europe during the subgenre's heyday of the 1970s and early '80s, exist not to frighten, but to titillate. They're little more than softcore porn at heart, only with pointy teeth, lots of murders and fake blood, a tendency toward surreal imagery, and fantastically catchy lounge music on the soundtrack.

Yet not all of them are mindless sexfests. A few, like Spanish director Vincente Aranda's THE BLOOD-SPATTERED BRIDE (1972), really do seem to be working the queer subtext. In this one, Maribel Martin plays Susan, a young, virginal bride so scared of having sex with her new husband (Simon Andreu, tellingly referred to in the credits as simply "Husband") that she imagines him as a rapist during one powerful dream sequence that echoes a similar hallucination in Roman Polanski's brilliant REPULSION (1965). Perhaps realizing on some level that she's just not into men, Susan runs away from her husband, and right into the arms of lesbian vampire Mircalla Karnstein, played by Alexandra Bastedo, who initiates her into the world of vampirism -- by which I mean lesbianism. "Husband," who has been going progressively crazier after losing control over Susan, embarks on a violent rampage, tracking Mircalla and Susan, and finding them sleeping naked together in a single coffin. He stakes them while they sleep and psychotically cuts off their breasts. But this is no moment of tacky misogyny. Aranda knew what he was doing. The ending is presented not as the triumph of good over evil, but as a tragedy. Here, the "normal" world, embodied by Susan's husband, succeeds in snuffing out the lives of those it deems different, and Aranda mourns that. It's an unexpected critique of patriarchal society (the wooden stake has never before been so blatant a stand-in for the penis) and a condemnation of the whole concept of the male gaze in a subgenre that's best known for its leering portrayal of naked women covered in the blood of their victims. Kudos to Aranda for doing something different and trying to make a statement.

If you're interested in checking out some of the best of the bunch in this subgenre, either in as preparation for LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS or out of curiosity, you'll want to check out what I consider the top three films of the lesbian vampire oeuvre: Roy Ward Baker's THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970), which features Ingrid Pitt as J.S. LeFanu's famous vamp Carmilla, and Peter Cushing as the father of one of her victims/lovers; Harry Kumel's ultra-stylish DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971), with Delphine Seyrig as the immortal Countess Bathory, and Danielle Ouimet and Andrea Rau as her sexy but doomed playthings; and Jose Ramon Larraz's VAMPYRES (1974), which is one of the hottest of the bunch, due to the presence of the incredibly sexy Anulka Dziubinka as the bloodthirsty Miriam. All three movies are currently available on DVD.

If you like your horror stylish and sexy, the European lesbian vampire movies of the 1970s and early '80s rarely disappoint. Just don't expect high production values or stories that always make a whole lot of sense. I'm looking at you, Jess Franco and Jean Rollins!

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When he's not admitting embarrassing things about his taste in movies, Nicholas Kaufmann is a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author, reviewer and interviewer. For more regular doses of Kaufmannia, visit his blog at http://nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com or his website at http://www.nicholaskaufmann.com.