Blood and Roses (1960)
aka
Et mourir de plaisir
Und vor Lust zu sterben
When one thinks of an influential vampire story, obviously it will always be Bram Stoker's Dracula that springs to mind; but much less well known is Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novella 'Carmilla', which was published in 1872 and has influenced a whole host of films - everything in the 'lesbian vampire' sub-genre owes itself to this story. Aside from rubbish such as most of the films made by French director Jean Rollin, there are some very notable lesbian vampire movies; Daughters of Darkness, The Blood-Splattered Bride and Vampyres being the best among them. Blood and Roses is apparently the first 'faithful' film to be based on the novel. The plot focuses on the Karnstein family, who live in a big castle. We find out pretty early that there is a history of vampirism in the family. The main character is the beautiful young Carmilla; who is attracted to her cousin Leopold. However, Leopold is engaged to be married, leaving Carmilla bitter and jealous. Her jealousy leads her to an old tomb; apparently the resting place of her vampire relative, and soon the young girl is possessed by the vampire. (IMDB The_Void)
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