Vampyros Lesbos

Vampyros Lesbos
DVD cover
Directed by	Jesús Franco
Produced by	Artur Brauner Karl Heinz Mannchen
Written by	Jesús Franco Jaime Chávarri
Starring	Soledad Miranda Ewa Strömberg Andrés Monales Dennis Price Paul Müller
Music by	Jesús Franco Manfred Hübler Sigi Schwab
Cinematography	Manuel Merino
Editing by	Clarissa Ambach
Distributed by	Exclusivas Floralva Distribución S.A.
Release date(s)	15 July 1971 (West Germany) 1973 (Spain)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	West Germany / Spain
Language	German

Vampyros Lesbos is a 1971 erotic horror film directed and co-written by Jesús "Jess" Franco, inspired by Bram Stoker's short story Dracula's Guest.

Plot

On a remote island, beautiful bloodsucker Countess Nadine Oskudar (Soledad Miranda) lures unwary victims with her seductive nightclub act and sets her sights on silky blonde Linda (Ewa Strömberg), initiating her into the realm of love beyond the grave. After their first carnal encounter, Linda wanders the beach in a daze and falls under the care of Dr. Seward (Dennis Price), who's intent on using Nadine to become a vampire himself.

Cast

• Soledad Miranda – Countess Nadine Oskudar
• Ewa Strömberg – Linda Westinghouse (as Ewa Stromberg)
• Dennis Price – Dr. Alwin Seward (as Denis Price)
• Heidrun Kussin – Agra
• José Martínez Blanco – Morpho
• Andrés Monales – Omar (as Victor Feliman)
• Paul Müller – Dr. Steiner
• Michael Berling – Dr. Seward's assistant (as Michael Berlin)
• Jesús "Jess" Franco – Memmet

Uncredited

• Beni Cardoso – Dead woman
• Ingrid Steeger – Nude dancer

Critical reception

Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com said of the film, "As filtered through the drug-bombed haze of Jesús Franco, this mixture of vampires and sun-drenched Riviera setting is nonsense from the get-go, but if you like a little soft gore with your soft core, this is the movie for you."

DVD Verdict said, "In this respect, I suppose Jess Franco was a pioneer, because he understood the advantages of excess. His stylish, over-the-top sensibilities—and the degree of excess he managed to pull off for next to nothing—make Vampyros Lesbos a cult gem that lives up to its stellar reputation."

J.C. Maçek III of WorldsGreatestCritic.com wrote, "The twisted concept of Naked Lesbian Vampires sunbathing without even a bottle of SPF 30 gives a whole new meaning to 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me'."

Film score

The film's score, composed by Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab (a.k.a. The Vampires' Sound Incorporation), gained a cult following when it was rereleased. The score of the heavily cut Spanish version (entitled Las Vampiras) was composed by Franco under the name David Khune.

External links

• Vampyros Lesbos at the Internet Movie Database
• Vampyros Lesbos at AllRovi
• Las Vampiras at the TCM Movie Database