Les[bi]an Vampire Movie Recommendations!

Alright babes, having spent the last three weeks of my life binging lesbian vampire films, I am gonna give you some thoughts and recommendations based on the films I watched!

In chronological order...

Vampyr (1932)

Vampyr is a the first adaptation of Carmilla, but heavily altered and mixed with a completely unrelated narrative about a...guy...who is into the occult...and spends the whole time hallucinating? It's very strange. It's not technically a silent film, but the director had only really worked on silent films before this, and didn't know what to do with a talkie, so this film ends up being mostly silent anyway!

Do I recommend? If you're a film buff and fascinated by early cinema and have a lot of patience, go for it! But generally, no! Don't watch it!

Dracula's Daughter (1936)

The first official sequel to Dracula, the film starts minutes after Dracula's death with Van Helsing still with Dracula's body. I'm not certain how Dracula's daughter came to be in England. I'm not sure how she's related to Dracula either. The male protagonist of the film is awful, naturally. 

Do I recommend? Yes. Dracula's daughter is a bisexual disaster trying to resist her urges to be a bisexual vampire, and I can't help but sympathise with her for that! Of course she goes off the deep end at the end of the film and has to die, but I love her performance and I love seeing such an early depiction of the tragic vampire!

Blood and Roses (1960)

A French film set in Italy about a character from Austria originally written by an Irishman. How much more European could you get?

Do I recommend? Yes. It's quite beautiful, and tragic of course, as these films had to be at the time, but again I can't help but empathise with this version of Carmilla. And who can resist 1960s Italy?

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

The first of the Karnstein trilogy of Hammer Horror films. This film is based on the original "Carmilla" novella and is really quite accurate for the most part. 

Do I recommend? Yes. I think the sets were beautiful, the costumes were lovely, and Ingrid Pitt is a fantastic and iconic Carmilla! 

Daughters of Darkness (1971)

This film is about an immortal vampire version of Elizabeth Bathory lusting after a young newly wed couple.

Do I recommend? Kinda? The film is pretty awful, to be honest, but Delphine Seyrig as Bathory is mesmerizing and iconic. One of those vampire women you just kind of wish you could be!

Vampyres (1974)

This film is pure cheap sexploitation. What sets it apart from other lesbian vampire films though is that the lesbian vampires survive! They win, basically! It's a rare example of lesbian vampires escaping punishment for their wicked lesbian ways!

Do I recommend? God, no. Dreadful film. Lots of boobs, if you're into that? But no. Bad movie. So bad. Just awful. Wtf even happened, I have no idea. It also has a 2015 remake which is similarly bad, but with a higher budget.

The Hunger (1983)

Starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon, this is an artsy fartsy vision of the lesbian vampire, though definitely bisexual. Bowie's vampire is not as explicitly bisexual as the women, but it seems more than a coincidence that he was cast in the role!  Do I recommend? Yes. However, the plot is thin and its really more about the visuals than the story. Another film to be patient with, it can drag on a bit.

Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)

Some straight boys think boobies are fun.

Do I recommend? No.

Bit (2019)

Bit is gay, its trans. That is nice. We like that. 

Do I recommend? I guess. I think that being such a recent film takes marks off for me. If this film had been made 10 years ago I would rank it higher. It's fun enough, but as it was made by a straight cis guy it is absent of any meaningful queer or feminist politics. But if you want to watch a movie about a lesbian trans vampire who wins and survives, this is the movie for you, and far less offensive than most of the lesbian vampire films which came before it!

Carmilla (2019)

Carmilla is a beautiful film. But still a horror film. Just because this one gets right what so many of the others get so so wrong, doesn't mean it isn't horrifying. Perhaps even more scary than most lesbian vampire films because the real enemy isn't the vampire at all.

Do I recommend? Absolutely. Amazing. Especially if you understand the context of the lesbian vampire trope (which you now all do!) this film is such a wonderful response to the genre. I recommend reading the "Carmilla" novella before you watch it, but it isn't necessary. If you'd like to read Carmilla though, it is available to read via various online sources, because it is in the public domain!