Loving Vampires

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The late lamented Sandy Pearlman (Blue Oyster Cult, The Dictators, The Clash, to name but a few of the bands that he mentored / produced) and li'l 'ol me had a lot in common, taste-wise -- one reason I feel his absence on Planet Earth so acutely -- and one of our shared passions was Hammer Horror films. Just about the best there were back in the day, after AIP had cycled through the Poe oeuvre, from an over-all production standpoint -- sumptuous mise-en-scene, lush cinematography, terrific music, and outstanding actors (Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing of course -- but also folks like Herbert Lom, Nigel Greene, and Patrick Magee)...and also, luscious babes. Lots and lots of luscious babes, usually at one point or another en déshabillé.

Sandy was particularly fond of this here film, The Vampire Lovers, starring Polish / British / Jewish temptress Ingrid Pitt -- which spiced up the venerable English studio's reliable penchant for bosomy pulchritude ("I've got my Hammer down"), both innocent and malevolent depending, with some hot girl-on-girl action. This being 1970, such Sapphic comings and goings were standard men's magazine fare -- so why not put them in a horror film? Indeed. Lefanu's short story hints at this dark well of loneliness -- "murmurs in the background" -- but it is not at all explicit. This film however GOES ALL THE WAY (well, not quite as far as say, Behind the Green Door did two years later...but pretty darn far).

There's a new 4K Blu-Ray Collector's Edition just out from Shout Factory with multiple extras I'm just dying to sink my fangs into…you'll put the bite on me wontcha boys??

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