Twins of Evil (1972)

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

viewing in glorious black and white will make all the difference. The story is pretty straight forward as far as vampire/devil worship/witch hunt movies go, but the execution of this simple tale is outstanding on every other level..the acting, the wardrobe, cinema photography were all top notch. Warning! This film has sinful devil worshiping, bloodletting, human sacrifices, young nubile witch burnings, head decapitation, and plenty of heaving bosoms.

Well what can I say, after reading so many positive reviews on this film, I finally sat down and watched "Twins of Evil"! Highly recommend the Network Blu Ray and probably one of the best looking films I've seen. The titular duo are great, as is Damien Thomas, who is right up there with Lee and David Peel as the evil Count Karnstein. Peter Cushing is phenomenal in this, and at first I was expecting him to be the villain, you forget he is actually on the good side. Dennis Price I thought was decent as the hero character, just glad Cushing interrupted his musical number! As someone who admires cinematography, the sets and colour palette in the film is stunning, enhanced even more by the HD transfer, particularly the scenes in Karnstein's castle! The special effects are great too, especially the reflection shots, which I guess were accomplished with a fake mirror. Great soundtrack too. Just wish the Blu Ray had more extras or a commentary, though I understand a US release does so. Safe to say it is definitely going amongst my Hammer favourites! British Horror at its finest!

Playboy 'playmates' Mary and Madeleine Collinson play Maria and Frieda, two recently orphaned twins from Venice, who have the additional misfortune to be coming to live with their Uncle Veil, the constantly furious leader of 'The Brotherhood', a group who bastardise their interpretation of religion by sacrificing young girls whom they believe are 'servants of the devil'. One of the best lines in the film is Veil's response to his nieces not wearing black after two months of mourning. On seeing their smart clothes, he intones, finger raised to the Heavens, "WHAT kind of PLUMAGE is this??"Peter Cushing gives one of his best performances ever as Gustav Veil, a fairly complex character as written. With seldom few genuine 'good guys' on display (hero Anton (David Warbeck) is a teacher with less than professional designs on Frieda, who is, after all, one of his students) , Veil is typically written as a hypocritical, tyrannical yet ultimately fragile and humane authority figure. Cushing plays every contrast to the hilt, so that rather than hating him, the viewer is drawn into the moral dilemma of how to deal with the demonic forces he has given his life (and the life of those around him) to destroying, when such forces infest his own family. In his perverted translation of religion, he and his followers, all aroused by each other's vehement hatred of impurities, are responsible for the deaths of more innocents than the corrupt Count Karnstein – and yet when Gustav falls, as he inevitably must, he dies a (kind of) hero. Real life tragedies etched ten years of age onto Cushing's countenance (compare his appearance here to his last Hammer outing 'The Vampire Lovers') and leant him a forlorn countenance that adds to Veil's vulnerability.Damien Thomas was rumoured to be in line to play Dracula for Hammer once Christopher Lee had finally hung up his fangs – and from his performance here, it is easy to see why. The twins are also very good here, despite having little formal acting experience – subtle differences in responses separate the mischievous Frieda from the wholesome Maria very well; no mean feat considering they are dubbed throughout. Dennis Price is exceptional as the weaselly Dietrich. Often wasted at this stage of his career on cheap sex-comedies and low-budget horrors, he is exemplary here, especially when ineffectually attempting to excite Karnstein with some inept devil-worshipping entertainment.Harvey Hall, the only actor to have appeared in all of this trilogy (alongside Kirstin Lindholm who is briskly burnt at the stake), is his usual dependable self as Franz, one of The Brotherhood. Finally, Katya Wyeth plays the third incarnation of Carmilla/Mircalla, (who speaks in crisp, clipped RC English, without the European intonations of her predecessors) who – in her one scene – incestuously seduces The Count and turns him into a vampire (which begs the question, who was responsible for the vampire attacks on villagers before Karnstein's turning?). Apparently, Ingrid Pitt was offered the part, but possibly due to its brevity, turned it down.Director Tim Burton often cites Hammer films as an inspiration for the visuals of his films, especially 'Sleepy Hollow (1999)'. It is easy to imagine he refers specifically to 'Twins of Evil' as virtually every scene is reminiscent of the darkest Gothic fairy-tale, with great use of rich colours against the shadows. Apparently the budget for this wasn't much higher than the previous 'Lust' film, which is astounding, as this looks magnificent and a true credit to Director John Hough. The music also separates this from others in the trilogy. The bombastic score is exciting and plays against some of the more gruesome scenes (the elongated burnings, for example), and yet makes them more tragic and frightening than if more traditional incidentals were used. 'Twins' is as good as anything Hammer has ever produced.

TWINS OF EVIL is the third and final of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy and it has the most interesting storyline of all three. That's because the film combines two successful sub-genres of horror, the witch-burning film and the vampire movie. The two subjects don't necessarily go hand in hand so it's remarkable at just how successfully they combine here.The movie is headlined by Peter Cushing in one of his most villainous performances as a witch hunter who'd give Matthew Hopkins a run for his money. Cushing spends half the movie burning innocent girls alive and the other half being a general fiend and antagonist, and what's really special is that Cushing still finds the spark of humanity deep within his character. You hate him, but a small part of you admires him despite his actions.The Karnstein plodding is familiar stuff, with Damien Thomas an acceptable if unremarkable villain; the stuff with the twins, Mary and Madeleine Collinson, is less interesting (they weren't cast for their acting talents, after all) but they don't have an overwhelming amount of screen time. David Warbeck has a nice role as a youthful hero. As usual, TWINS OF EVIL wins out thanks to the sumptuous production values, even at this late stage of the Hammer game; the film is a visual treat of cobwebby castles, ruined graveyards, and haunted crypts, contrasting with the general bucolic charm of the period.