The Vampire Lovers (1970) Dir: Roy Ward Baker

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With so many classic horrors in their filmography, it should come as no surprise to know that there were a few I had been especially interested in, and this 1970 vampire horror, from director Roy Ward Baker, was one of those few, mainly because of my love for vampire horror, but also because of this one's popularity with fans of Hammer horrors. The studio had done very well with their 1958 adaptation of 'Dracula', so it seemed reasonable enough to have fairly high hopes for this other classic vampire film.

A familiar theme of Hammer's many productions, this film boasted some absolutely stunning costume design, especially for the women involved. In fact, the whole film's aesthetic was delicious, including the set design. This was a very pretty film, certainly for the time. I thought it helped convey the allure and mystique of the vampiric characters really effectively. I even appreciated some of the camerawork a good deal; the dramatic smash cuts were particularly great, if a little cheesy.

The film is a little dated, in terms of its 'of the time' depictions of women, and the eroticism is starkly 60's and 70's in style and presentation. With that said, I can't help but feel like it allowed the film to capture the innate eroticism and dark romance of the vampire genre quite acutely. This film was the epitome of the vision of a Victorian woman in a revealing nightgown, walking through a grand mansion with an oil lamp.

Ingrid Pitt epitomised the allure and the lust of the film perfectly. She did so much acting with her eyes, and with subtle shifts in her mannerisms - it was very effective in terms of her role in the film. She also had an incredible amount of chemistry with her co-star Kate O'Mara, who was also very solid in her own role. The atmosphere between the two was intoxicating, and there seemed to be a magnetic energy pulling them towards each other.

I really wish Peter Cushing and Douglas Wilmer were in this film more, because both were tremendous. Cushing is the quintessential Hammer horror actor, and Wilmer was more than worth his time on-screen as well. They both had the feel of those Shakespearean British actors of old, who make every one of their scenes more dramatic. It was sumptuous to watch, with Cushing in particular absolutely killing it, both with his acting and his look.

There were a few very goof supporting performances aside from those mentioned above, with George Cole, Ferdy Mayne, Madeleine Smith, and Dawn Addams, all providing some very agreeable displays in their various roles. I would have loved for this film to be a little longer, so that it could have featured some of these other actors a bit more. Regardless, I thought the whole cast did very well with what they had.

Overall, despite its slightly outdated nature, I thought this was still an excellent and aesthetically spot-on vampire horror, defined by its immaculate costume and set design, as well as a brilliant leading performance from Ingrid Pitt. This was undoubtedly one of the best Hammer horrors I have seen thus far, and one I think I'll be watching again sooner than later.