The Velvet Vampire
Directed by Stephanie Rothman
A married couple are invited to the desert home of bisexual female vampire Diane LeFanu, not realizing she’s a centuries-old bloodsucker keen on adding them both to her stable of lovers. Female vampires who swing both ways have been a staple of the genre since Sheridan LeFanu’s “Carmilla” and 1936’s DRACULA’S DAUGHTER. But THE VELVET VAMPIRE stands out for being one of the few such tales directed by a woman, in this instance cult director Stephanie Rothman (TERMINAL ISLAND) who mixes gauzy erotic dream sequences, comedy and nightmarish neck-biting in very fun fashion.
A married couple are invited to the desert home of a bisexual female vampire.
Cast: Michael Blodgett, Sherry E. DeBoer, Celeste Yarnall
Member Reviews
I felt very lucky to find this early feminist horror gem on Aussie Shudder. Stephanie Rothman is a slept-on director - mostly making exploitation films artsy with a feminist critique. Also, Anna Biller eat your mthfucking heart out! The costume and production design is gorgeous. It does falter from the last act issues, mainly the greyhound bus scene being the unintentionally funniest thing I've seen all year. But thank you Shudder, this has just been such a pleasure. I'm such a lucky boy.
Not the usual gorefest from Shudder. Script played like one written for a tv movie; however, the rampant nudity, and some of the violence would never have passed the censors in the 70's. The low budget of the production was noticeable. Still, a film that has the potential to be remade into a better movie. I liked the movie, but would not recommend to others. It reminded me of "The Love Witch". Another film that was heavy on eroticism, and light on horror. However, if this film starred Catherine Deneuve and Susan Saradon, it probably be regarded as a classic now.
The film kinda drags and not too erotic, but blues fans watch for the appearance of Johnny Shines near the beginning of the film, playing his self-penned "Evil-Hearted Woman". Shines was a contemporary of Robert Johnson. I'm giving it four "skulls" for his appearance in the movie.
definitely not groundbreaking, but not a waste of time! it was a fun watch - the setting and costumes are great of course, the acting is about what you'd expect. i wish there was more to the dream sequences but they were fun. the ending had me cackling.
Bloodless acting.