If this wasn't the second of a trio of vampire films, I would think that this was greatly influenced by the life of Countess Elisabeth Bathory, the subject of several films made around the same time. In fact, Ingrid Pitt, who was offered a role in this (presumably the countess) starred the very same year in "Countess Dracula", a horror film loosely based on Bathory's legend. Of course, Bathory had lived in another part of Europe centuries before, and this is set 40 years after "The Vampire Lovers" in the mid-1800's. The opening scene shows a peasant girl getting a ride in a glamorous carriage, and when she gets in and it takes off, she begins screaming, realizing her fate. The next thing you know, blood is dripping out of her into a chalice, and it is poured onto the corpse of a woman who then sits up, with her back to the audience, obviously having come back to life and regained her youth. Very Bathory in legend. The good thing is you do not have to have seen "The Vampire Lovers" to understand what is going on here.

Much of the action centers around a prestigious girls school where the students begin to disappear and various men are attacked. Barbara Jefford is the countess cone back to life, with Suzanna Leigh as her niece, and Helen Christie as the school mistress who seems to know more than she's letting on. Ralph Bates and Yutte Stensgaard CoStar, and they are surrounded by a very convoluted script that often substitutes eroticism for story, meaning that a lot of the footage is rather pointless and a lot of time wasted on things that could have cut this down to 80 minutes rather than 95. But it is a handsome production, making good use of castles in the mountains and beautiful buildings and the lush countryside. With so many vampire films out around the same time, this just fades into the abyss of that genre, and is ultimately nothing special.

This R-rated vampire film made me laugh. After all, a vampire who died over a hundred years earlier (Countess Carmilla) has been revived and she matriculates at a nearby girls school. While this idea is silly, it's even sillier since the school apparently is only for hot ladies ages 18-25! And, during much of their free time, they spend it dressing and undressing and kissing each other! It was all meant to be very sexy and at times it was, but I also laughed a lot since it was so contrived and clichéd. After all, they sure seemed to come up with so many excuses to get naked! However, despite this silly plot, the film actually was pretty good in many ways. Much of it was, I am sure, due to it being made by Hammer Films--a studio that had already made a bazillion horror films and knew how to get the look right. While it's far from the studio's best, it was pretty good--and a lot better than some of their other 1970s vampire films (such as "The Satanic Rites of Dracula"). And, if you are looking for boobies, then this film should do the trick.

By the way, don't you think the guy vampire looked an awful lot like General Zod from "Superman II"?! And, although not a bad film, get a look at the silly way they killed off Carmilla! Pretty dumb and pretty convenient!!

A quick sequel to THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, this was the second in the infamous Hammer Karnstein trilogy (the third being TWINS OF EVIL). As a result it contains all of the ingredients we are now used to seeing in Hammer's '70s films, such as extra gore, female nudity, and a heavy dose of sex. Unfortunately, production of the film suffered when Peter Cushing - the original choice for teacher Barton - dropped out due to his wife's severe illness, and Terence Fisher also withdrew from directing due to an accident. As a result, the film is perhaps not as effective as it might have once been. However, I think a lot of the criticism of this film is unfair. It has everything you would expect from a vampire film - lots of blood, biting, and even torch-wielding villagers.

The acting, however, can best be described as 'average'. The film lacks a central pivotal character such as Cushing or Lee to carry it. Ralph Bates is always value for money, although he despised the film, appearing in it as a favour; but he dies too soon. I would have preferred to see him as the male lead instead. Michael Johnson, the film's lead, was never heard of again. Mike Raven, a former DJ, looks sinister but tries too hard to be Christopher Lee (whose eyes appear in a close-up). Christopher Neame has a small role as the peasant Hans. Yutte Stensgaard is certainly beautiful and makes for an effective, strangely hypnotic vampire, although her acting skills are limited to say the least and she was dubbed in post production.

Although made on a low budget, I was impressed by the costumes (although clothes are hardly ever kept on) and the scenery, especially the castle and adjoining graveyard. Even some comedy aspects creep into the film (Mike Raven's catchphrase, "Heart attack" is one). The film is also atmospheric, although sadly this atmosphere is somewhat ruined by the inclusion of a pop song, 'Strange Love', which has to be a low point in the entire Hammer filmography. The film does its best to include a tragic love story, which is at least partially successful. Strangely, most of Mircalla's female victims scream when attacked, but her male victims - Ralph Bates in particular - seem to enjoy the experience. Must be something to do with hormones. One great scene has the vampire coach driver attack the angry villagers with a whip and - well, I won't spoil it for you. Let's just say it's a vintage Hammer moment. I also liked the final scene in the blazing castle. LUST FOR A VAMPIRE is an average film with lots of different ingredients to keep it going; and a worthy addition to Hammer's vampire series, whatever the critics may say, although VAMPIRE LOVERS and TWINS OF EVIL are both superior.