One
of Jean RollinÕs most shining moments, Image Entertainment has treated
us to this classic no-budget, ultra-French, sex/horror yarn in a newly
transferred DVD release. From the opening shot of young, blonde pig-tailed
Marie-Pierre Castel in a clown suit, firing a gun at the car behind, this
film does not let up in either beautiful photographic tableau, mild action,
or intense sexual sadism. After Marie-Pierre and her also clown-outfitted
ŌtwinÕ Mirelle Dargent escape their pursuers, their driver is shot and
killed. They set him and the car on fire, finishing their escape by foot.
They survive by various methods, most often using their supple bodies to
bait middle-aged men. In one highly Rollinian scene, Marie-Pierre struts
back and forth quite obviously until the mad follows her, then chases her,
into the nearby woods. Mirelle robs his truck while he chases Marie-Pierre.
These tactics donÕt fare so well for the two young beauties once they enter
the lair of The Last Vampire. After passing through a cemetery and attempting
hiding, one falls into a grave and is almost buried alive by two gravediggers.
After this debacle they find themselves in an old castle, and are captured
by a saber-toothed female vampire in Gothic clothing. She holds them for
her master, The Last Vampire, who spreads his cape and unleashes two vampires
bats upon the girls, who are hypnotically forced to march down in his torture
room, where we are treated to 15 minutes of debauchery. All the women down
here find themselves caught in chains and their clothes are ripped off
while the VampireÕs henchmen make their pleasure with their captives. Groovy,
semi-psychedelic music glides throughout the red-tinted frames as the women
scream at their rough handling by their abusers. Although Jean Rollin himself
feels that these scenes are only slightly sadistic, IÕm certain that fans
of women in peril will find some of what theyÕre looking for here. This
film was very personal for Mr. Rollin, one that he made in response to
the amount of critical derision he had thus far received. The script was
made up on the fly, like a tale-teller around a campfire attempting to
scare the Girl Scouts. A fairly simple story of the girlsÕ abduction into
the world of the vampires, is made most interesting with RollinÕs trademark
scattered skulls, old castles, and close-up shots of the two womenÕs faces,
posing for the camera. The transfer is acceptable but most likely due to
the origin of source material, appears to have barely better image quality
than a laserdisc. But nicely proportioned for a 1:66 letterboxing, this
is 50 times better than those horrible bootlegs from that company in Florida.
A lot of the film actually takes place in the daytime, something which
was difficult to spot in earlier bootlegs. The DVD also includes the original
theatrical trailer in both French and English, a still gallery, behind-the-scenes
photos, and a promotional materials section, and liner notes by Marc Morris.
CAST:
Marie-Pierre
Castel Maltin, Mireille Dargent, Philippe Gast„, Dominique,
Louise Dhour, Paul Bisciglia, Michel Delesalle, Antoine Mausin,
Olivier Fran‚oi, Dominique Toussaint
VIDEO/DVD
One
of Jean RollinÕs most shining moments, Image Entertainment has treated
us to this classic no-budget, ultra-French, sex/horror yarn in a newly
transferred DVD release. From the opening shot of young, blonde pig-tailed
Marie-Pierre Castel in a clown suit, firing a gun at the car behind, this
film does not let up in either beautiful photographic tableau, mild action,
or intense sexual sadism. After Marie-Pierre and her also clown-outfitted
ŌtwinÕ Mirelle Dargent escape their pursuers, their driver is shot and
killed. They set him and the car on fire, finishing their escape by foot.
They survive by various methods, most often using their supple bodies to
bait middle-aged men. In one highly Rollinian scene, Marie-Pierre struts
back and forth quite obviously until the mad follows her, then chases her,
into the nearby woods. Mirelle robs his truck while he chases Marie-Pierre.
These tactics donÕt fare so well for the two young beauties once they enter
the lair of The Last Vampire. After passing through a cemetery and attempting
hiding, one falls into a grave and is almost buried alive by two gravediggers.
After this debacle they find themselves in an old castle, and are captured
by a saber-toothed female vampire in Gothic clothing. She holds them for
her master, The Last Vampire, who spreads his cape and unleashes two vampires
bats upon the girls, who are hypnotically forced to march down in his torture
room, where we are treated to 15 minutes of debauchery. All the women down
here find themselves caught in chains and their clothes are ripped off
while the VampireÕs henchmen make their pleasure with their captives. Groovy,
semi-psychedelic music glides throughout the red-tinted frames as the women
scream at their rough handling by their abusers. Although Jean Rollin himself
feels that these scenes are only slightly sadistic, IÕm certain that fans
of women in peril will find some of what theyÕre looking for here. This
film was very personal for Mr. Rollin, one that he made in response to
the amount of critical derision he had thus far received. The script was
made up on the fly, like a tale-teller around a campfire attempting to
scare the Girl Scouts. A fairly simple story of the girlsÕ abduction into
the world of the vampires, is made most interesting with RollinÕs trademark
scattered skulls, old castles, and close-up shots of the two womenÕs faces,
posing for the camera. The transfer is acceptable but most likely due to
the origin of source material, appears to have barely better image quality
than a laserdisc. But nicely proportioned for a 1:66 letterboxing, this
is 50 times better than those horrible bootlegs from that company in Florida.
A lot of the film actually takes place in the daytime, something which
was difficult to spot in earlier bootlegs. The DVD also includes the original
theatrical trailer in both French and English, a still gallery, behind-the-scenes
photos, and a promotional materials section, and liner notes by Marc Morris.
