Seductive vampire Carmilla Karnstein (Ingrid Pitt) and her family target the beautiful and the rich a remote area of late 18th century Germany.
At only a £165,227 budget, how could they afford to do anything other than hire Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt? The answer, of course, is that these horror icons were not earning the huge salaries their counterparts today are.
But Pitt and Cushing are not even the biggest deal here. Although not as well known as Cushing or Pitt, Madeline Smith was a Hammer regular and is half of the "vampire lovers" from the title. She had previously appeared in "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1969) and go on to do "Theatre of Blood" (1972) and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1972) before going even more mainstream as a Bond girl.
Further, director Roy Ward Baker is perhaps best known for his work with Hammer and Hammer horror, but actually had a long, distinguished career in Hollywood, including directing the Golden Globe-winning "A Night to Remember" (1958) and a young Marilyn Monroe in "Don't Bother to Knock" (1952).
This is seen as a "female-driven film" when seen from a feminist perspective, and more generally thought of as a lesbian vampire film. Pitt says this is not a lesbian film and stresses that "vampires are not lesbians", they are just very physical and passionate. Baker says the producers probably wanted to suggest lesbian themes, but that was never his intention -- he wanted a good film, not a sensational one. He further says the lesbian theme is not in the original story, regardless of what others claim.
The audio commentary on the MGM disc features director Roy Ward Baker and actress Ingrid Pitt, which is well worth a listen.
At only a £165,227 budget, how could they afford to do anything other than hire Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt? The answer, of course, is that these horror icons were not earning the huge salaries their counterparts today are.
But Pitt and Cushing are not even the biggest deal here. Although not as well known as Cushing or Pitt, Madeline Smith was a Hammer regular and is half of the "vampire lovers" from the title. She had previously appeared in "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1969) and go on to do "Theatre of Blood" (1972) and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1972) before going even more mainstream as a Bond girl.
Further, director Roy Ward Baker is perhaps best known for his work with Hammer and Hammer horror, but actually had a long, distinguished career in Hollywood, including directing the Golden Globe-winning "A Night to Remember" (1958) and a young Marilyn Monroe in "Don't Bother to Knock" (1952).
This is seen as a "female-driven film" when seen from a feminist perspective, and more generally thought of as a lesbian vampire film. Pitt says this is not a lesbian film and stresses that "vampires are not lesbians", they are just very physical and passionate. Baker says the producers probably wanted to suggest lesbian themes, but that was never his intention -- he wanted a good film, not a sensational one. He further says the lesbian theme is not in the original story, regardless of what others claim.
The audio commentary on the MGM disc features director Roy Ward Baker and actress Ingrid Pitt, which is well worth a listen.