The Shiver of the Vampires (1971)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

hyped garbage

Admirable film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A young honeymooning couple stop for the night at an ancient castle. Unbeknownst to them, the castle is home to a horde of vampires, who have their own plans for the couple.This is the sixth Jean Rollin film I have seen in the past week, and the fifth one to feature nude vampire women. Not sure what is up with Rollin: he needs nude women, vampires, castles and a sea side with a fence (or dilapidated pier) in all his films...I think this one was probably the best of those I have seen. The rocking music, the actual attempt to have a back story for the vampires... it was like he decided that a plot would be nice, besides just the sex and stripped women. Good call, Jean.

If you are a fan of the "Twilight" series of supposed vampire films, you will want to stay away from this. Or, maybe you will want to see what a real vampire film is all about.This is good work from Jean Rollin. It is a mixture of horror and art with some great surrealism thrown in. The long haired hippies add a nice contract to the Gothic settings. It may be Gothic, but it is painted with rich color and the rock music really applies.It is non linear, which tends to upset some folks, ad it doesn't make sense inn some parts, but the link between vampirism and sex is well defined.People pop out of the strangest places, and there is enough nudity to satisfy the most jaded.You do have to feel for poor Antoine (Jean-Marie Durand). After all, he just gets married to Isa (Sandra Julien) and along comes a hot vampiress to steal her away.

Because I've always been a fan of vampire stories and I like to experiment with different genres, I bought three Jean Rollin films. Even though this is - in my opinion - the best out of the three, I really don't get their appeal.For an erotic/porn film, the nudity is too scarce and tame. For a horror/scare film, there is too little suspense. For a drama, there is too little dramatic development. etc. Add this to the lack of a decent story line or decent acting and you really start wondering what the hell some of these reviewers are so excited about...They say Rollin is all about atmosphere, but I wonder what atmosphere they're talking about. I guess they're just talking about seeing naked women in a Gothic surrounding. If that's the case, they better find themselves a girlfriend/wife who's into the whole Gothic thing (like I did). It's far more worth it ;-)

Leave it to the French to make an artsy-fartsy vampire flick. A heavy emphasis on atmosphere, decor and sex while devoid of any substance. Pretentious acting, weak direction and a mediocre script. On the plus side, the score is kinda groovy and the naked babes (it's a French film, after all) make it easier on the eyes, though not enough to recommend.