A number of classic vampire flicks have been "dug up" over the years, except, seemingly, for one that continues to sleep in its cinematic crypt.  Now, Russ Pietrowki "digs up" for our review...

Slaughter of the Vampires: (AKA, La Strage dei Vampiri, Curse Of The Blood Ghouls, Homme du Femme?) 1962; Italy.

In Slaughter Of The Vampires, a little-known but interesting Gothic entry in the roster of early Sixties Italian vampire films, villagers pursue a vampire and his mate, and the mate is caught and killed. The vampire takes up residence in the wine cellar of a castle inhabited by a wealthy noble and his family. The vampire crashes the nobleman’s party and immediately sets eyes on the man's wife. As they waltz, she is taken with his mysterious power that forces her to leave the party earlier than expected for her bed.

The vampire enters her bedroom and seduces her, the result causing an inexplicable lethargy in the woman’s demeanor. On the recommendation of a personal physician, the nobleman travels to see a special doctor (Dr.Nietzche), who knows by hearing about the symptoms of the wife that the undead are afoot on the castle grounds. During the nobleman’s absence, the wife succumbs to the vampire, and dies. When her body disappears on his arrival back at the castle, the nobleman is distraught over her loss. She comes to him while he is wandering the castle grounds lamenting for her. It she tells him she still loves him, and then bites him, only for the male vampire to appear and command her away from her former husband.

The doctor uses the nobleman for bait, for he believes the vampires will attack the lord of the house and his daughter. The trap is baited, but unknown to the nobleman and the doctor, the governess is now a vampire, working from within, and when the attack fails, the governess strikes at the nobleman while he lies in his bed.

The doctor pursues one vampire and stakes her in her coffin. He ambushes the governess, searching for her coffin, and kills (?) her by forcing her to stare into a cross. The doctors concern is now for the nobleman, whom he suspects may have been "infected" enough to compromise the daughter’s safety.

The vampire finds the nobleman and the little girl together in the castle cellar, and the nobleman wins a rather quick fight with the vampire, staking him with an iron grate. The nobleman is left having saved the child, but losing his wife. As the doctor leaves the castle grounds in his coach, the nobleman walks into the gardens of the estate, broken and alone.

Placing the film, Slaughter of the Vampires, in proper perspective can possibly shine more merit on the film than granted by previous, loftier reviewers of videos in print. No doubt the film falls short in many respects, primarily due to the eleven minutes cut from the original print (the original version was 81 minutes, while the existing print is only 70 minutes) that leaves gaping holes in the story line that the viewer, at best, can only surmise at. This film falls on the heels of what is called "the golden age of Italian horror", a period dating from the later half of the Fidties to the early Sixties.

Slaughter of the Vampires is less of a horror film than it is a dark romance, involving infidelity, betrayal, and the eroticism associated with the vampire sub-genre. There is an effort to portray an ambiance of elegance throughout the film, and the dusky ravenesque actresses that fill the cast make this a enjoyable film to watch. The musical score by Aldo Piga is haunting and stormy, ringing out in tones reminiscent of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, and building on a central motif that is introduced at various dramatic points in the film.

As director of photography, Ugo Brunelli uses sweeping camera motions and angles, as well as close-ups and master shots for impact and character, with proficiency and economy.

Thankfully, the "cheesy" element found in many of Walter Brandi’s vampire films is replaced with an effort on story and drama. Slaughter of the Vampires is a gothic tale, and the story retains its setting and style throughout its seventy minutes.

Graziella Granata steals the show as both victim, and later, as one of the sexiest vampires of all time. Her acting is only fair but her screen presence is strong.  Watching Dr. Nietzche chase her into the castle cellar is, quite literally, titillating fun. She is by far the strongest presence in the film, if only by her image alone.

Poalo Solvay (Dr. Nietzche), is the stronger of the other actors with his serious intensity and his thoughtful expressions, as he tries to convince Brandi of the danger facing his wife, and out-guess the vampire's next move.

In contrast to the film’s qualities, Dieter Eppler neither has the imposing stature or menace of a Christopher Lee, or the sensual charisma of the same, and comes off more as a rogue walking on thin ice. He is easily dispatched by Walter Brandi, abandons his first vampire bride at the beginning of the film by fleeing her side when she needs him the most, and even requires a coachman to help him carry his coffin. It appears as though he forgets to tell the governess Corinne where her coffin is, or betrays her by not providing one. He is gaunt and pale, (shades of Al Lewis in The Munsters) and does things like make promises in flowery prose, and gives Graziella Granata a bouquet of hand-picked (no doubt from the estate gardens) white (or yellow) roses. For want of a better term, he might be seen as a "weenie" when it comes to vampires.

The attractive governess, Corinne, is given no dimension, but inexplicably shows up as a vampire to menace Brandi, hamming it up right to her bitter end (she is never staked). The loss of eleven minutes of film plays havoc with continuity here, as it does with other points in the film.

In all, the conclusion of Slaughter of the Vampires is draped in melancholia and tragedy. That there are vampires to slaughter is a point well provided for, however; the title invokes images of Blade rather than a romantic tale of vampire/human love. For its qualities, it's a good, entertaining  gothic horror film. For the loss of eleven minutes of footage, and the want for a stronger vampire character, patience over frustration is required to view it today.

Thanks, Russ, for illuminating a vampire flick that has languished in critical darkness far too long.  Readers, this is one vampire flick you shouldn't miss, if only for the early "staking" scene.   Cheers!

Article copyright Russ Pietrowki

Return To Archives From The Crypt