Daughters of Darkness (1971)
This low budget British film casts Delphine Seyrig as the Countess Elizabeth Bathory. She and her companion/slave, Ilona, run into a couple of British newlyweds while abroad, in a Flemish(?) hotel. Bathory takes a shine to the young bride and goes about seducing her. Then, there's a bizarre subplot in which the young groom refuses to tell his "mother" about his bride. The groom also has a morbid fascination with death and horror, attracting him to the Countess Bathory, whose name he recognizes. He also has this weird habit of beating his wife.

Although it has its moments, Daughters of Darkness is a little too slow for my tastes. It also lacks any real character or originality or even any real eroticism. So, this movie will probably only appeal to vampire buffs.

Le Frisson des Vampires (Thrill of the Vampires)
This French movie starts with a couple of young women, servants to a couple of dying vampires, seeking another to assist. They find one, Isolda. Enter a couple of newlyweds (what is it with vampires and newlyweds?). The bride, cousin to the dead vampires, arrives at their castle for her honeymoon. Stereotypically, Isolda goes after the bride. Later, it turns out that the cousin vampires were not, in fact, killed, but only faked their "deaths" in a convoluted scheme to identify and destroy other vampires.

The result is a bizarre little film. The vampire cousins are weird and flamboyant (as the groom describes "half hippie, half Louis the Fourteenth"); the sex is frequent and gratuitous (focusing mainly on lesbianism and S&M). The dubbing is okay, but the background music has an odd European disco-like flare and repeats continuously like in bad porno movies.

Ultimately, this isn't a serious movie, but it is pretty amusing. Kind of a French version of Blacula, I guess.

The Hunger (1983)
How could I forget The Hunger? This is one of the classier vampire flicks made, starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie as a pair of ancient bloodsuckers. But, The Hunger takes a different approach to the vampire mythology. In this movie, Deneuve is the primogenitor who seduces others to be her companions. Bowie plays one such cohort. Unfortunately, the companionship doesn't last as the partner inevitably (after many many years) succumbs to a rapid aging process. Enter Susan Sarandon, a scientist researching the "biological clock" and longevity.

The Hunger is one of my all-time favorite movies. It's done very artistically, the story is compelling and original, and the acting is pretty good (with small parts played by Cliff De Young and Dan Hedaya). And the sex scene between Deneuve and Sarandon is pretty steamy, too.

A Showtime cable series (also called The Hunger) is currently showing, but I don't know how closely it adheres to the ideas in the original movie. My guess is that it doesn't, but I've not seen the series so can't comment on it, yet. In any event, the movie is required viewing for anyone who considers themselves a vampire afficionado.

The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Perhaps the quintessential lesbian vampire movie, The Vampire Lovers stars Ingrid Pitt as the enticing Marcilla/Carmilla/Millarca who charms her way into the households of rich noblemen, and then into the hearts of their daughters (in more ways than one, heh). The first to fall prey are "The General" (played by Peter Cushing) and his daughter, Laura (played by Pippa Steele). Later, Carmilla goes after the lovely Emma, played by Kate O'Mara.

The Vampire Lovers is actually a pretty interesting movie, based on the book, Carmilla, by J. Sheridan LeFanu. But it is also quite erotic, in true Hammer Film tradition. Interestingly, Pitt argues that her character's attraction to Emma wasn't sexual. In an interview with Bruce Hallenbeck (Femme Fatales, Winter 1992), Pitt states "It wasn't lesbianism! I think vampires have no specific gender. It really didn't matter. If other people see it that way, fine, but I didn't play it that way. It all would've fallen flat on its face had I believed they were lesbians. Mircalla gave up her life compassionaltely for another being whom she loved. If there had been something sexual about it, it would've ruined this feeling of love. She truly loved Emma. She gave her soul fo this woman. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was a girl. If the vampire had been a male, it would have been the same thing."

This sounds a little like an evasion to me, but it is a point well taken: do vampires really have a gender? And is it really sex, or is it just playing with one's food? Anyway, The Vampire Lovers is worth seeing.

Vampyres (1974)
Another popular cult classic, Vampyres is a low-budget British flick starring Marianne Morris and Anulka as a couple of sexy vamps who lure men into their mansion for sex and a bite (or two) to eat. Although Vampyres' claim to fame is probably its sex scenes, which are pretty numerous and graphic, it also presents an interesting, semi-original treatment of the vampire mythology. It foregoes the undead walking the earth, sleep in a coffin, stake through the heart traditional view of vampires, and portrays a more subtle distinction. It's not a particularly slick film -- no real special effects or lavish sets, but it is worth seeing for the vampire-enthusiast.