Tweet
Released by: Mediumrare Entertainment
Released on: January 21, 2013
Director: Joe Sarno
Cast: Maria Forsa, Anke Syring, Nico Wolferstetter
Year: 1973
The Movie:
Better known in horror movie circles as Veil Of Blood, Joseph Sarno's 1973 vampire sex film comes to DVD in the UK set under the alternate video title of Vampire Ecstasy (the film was also previously released as The Devil's Plaything in the U.K. and saw a video release under that title by E.I. in these here United States a few years ago). It was also included in the After Hours Cinema Girl Meets Girl boxed set collection of Sarno films - so it's been around in various incarnations for a while now, but the movie holds up very well.
When the picture starts, we first learn of a sinister female vampire named Baroness Varga who was executed in the mountains of Germany where she was found guilty of drinking the blood of nubile young women. Before she breathed her last, however, she claimed that she'd come back and live again off of the blood of the local women folk. Pretty standard stuff so far, right? Yeah, Sarno's not really doing anything new here, but he does what he does well.
Fast forward to the modern day (well, the modern day of 1973, at least), and two pretty young girls, Helga (Maria Forsa) and her friend, are heading up to the hill country to check out a creaky old castle that their recently deceased aunt has left to them in her will. When they arrive, the find that a young man named Peter (Nico Wolferstetter) and his sister Julie (Anke Syring) have had some car trouble and they too are hoping to hole up in the old castle for the night until they can get things sorted out in the morning.
What the four young people soon learn is that the castle is not at all what it seems - and it is soon made apparent to them that the housekeeper who they thought to be able to trust is in fact the high priestess of a cult dedicated to resurrecting the spirit of Baroness Varga. She and her servants hold all manner of arcane Satanic sex rituals that further their cause, and it just so happens that these unfortunates have shown up on a night that they could very much use some fresh blood for their ceremonies - and Helga is looking pretty good to them right now! Good thing Peter is an expert in the occult and happens to be falling for her. With him on her side she just might stand a chance against the forces of darkness that are conspiring against her.
Light on plot but high on gothic atmosphere and bongo music, Vampire Ecstasy doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does manage to stir up some mood and a few of the steamier scenes are definitely hot stuff. The dubbing doesn't help the film or do it any favors but the same can be said about a lot of European horror movies of the same period - it's really no worse than average on this film. Fans of Jean Rollin or some of Jess Franco's material should appreciate the way that this movie unfolds (it is at times very reminiscent of Requiem For A Vampire and Vampyros Lesbos) as there are a few similarities to their work in here, even when you subtract the copious amount of lesbian vampires crammed into the movie. Lots of style, not so much plot - but it moves at a decent, if dreamlike, pace and offers up some great visuals and cool ideas.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Vampire Ecstasy looks decent if rarely amazing on DVD, framed here at 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are reasonably well defined and only occasionally faded and while print damage is a constant, it's definitely of the minor variety and not necessarily distracting. Detail is alright for a standard definition presentation of an older, low budget film while skin tones look lifelike and accurate. There are no problems with compression artifacts, edge enhancement or filtering of any kind and all in all, the movie looks just fine.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono track on the disc shows its age but does the trick. The dialogue is easy enough to understand and follow though some scenes are a bit flat. The levels are generally balanced well and there's only minor hiss and distortion present. Reference quality? Nope, but it works. An alternate German language track is also included but there are no subtitles to go along with it.
Aside from static menus and chapter selection, there's one extra on the disc and that's A Touch Of Horror: Interview With Director Joe Sarno (6:47), which is a mix of clips from the movie and some input from the late director who starts by talking about growing up in the thirties, how he got into horror movies at a young age and how he wound up making the movie contained on this very DVD. Sarno always came across as a pretty friendly guy and this interview is no exception. Considering the length of the interview the multiple clips almost feels like it's padding things a bit, but the input from Sarno makes watching this very much worth your time.
The Final Word:
Vampire Ecstasy isn't likely to be the film that Joe Sarno is remembered for years down the road but it's an effective mix of sex and gothic horror shot with a great eye for composition. Medmiumrare Entertainment's DVD offers up the movie in nice shape and with a brief but illuminating director's interview as its only bonus feature.
