Vampyros Lesbos (Germany/Spain; Jess Franco, 1971)

 

   Jesus Franco is easily one of the best and most famous directors of the exploitation genre. From Barbed-Wire Dolls (1975) to Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977), Franco's carreer is nothing if not prolific (IMDB lists 192 titles between 1957-2010), having directed at least one film of every exploitation sub-genre, many of which have become cult classics. Considered by some to be his masterpiece, Vampyros Lesbos is Franco's rendition of the 'lesbian vampire' picture, the title being rather self-descriptive in itself. Loosely based on Bram Stoker's short story "Dracula's Guest", Vampyros follows lawyer Linda Westinghouse (Ewa Stromberg) as she is summoned to work on the inheritance issues for Countess Nadine Oskudar (Soledad Miranda). Having been seduced by the Countess in her dreams, the familiarity of meeting her in person brings them together in real-life, resulting in Linda getting her blood sucked and waking up with amnesia. Her condition leads her to a sanitarium where a vampire-expert doctor runs things and a young female patient constantly dreams of the Countess invading her body while the latter attempts to re-possess Linda, with whom she has fallen in love with. This loose narrative is but an excuse to show much blood and nudity, the cornerstone of exploitation cinema. That is not to say that that film is not well crafted; although if I see another zoom any time soon, I'm apt to blow my brains out. The camera is always zooming in or out, sometimes reminiscent of a bored father-of-four trying to enliven footage of his summer vacation. However, the actual framing of the shots and the expressive mise-en-scene are wonders to behold, as are the editing choices that add much depth to colliding images.Story and coherence aside, Vampyros is a rather enjoyable experience for those looking for what it has to offer: half-naked women and fake-looking blood.