Bite Me!: Origins of the Lesbian Vampire in Film
by Stephen "Schizo" Boles

The 1970's were an exciting time for cinema, especially for the horror genre. Beginning in the 60's, with much thanks to the Europeans, a new breed of horror began to emerge...terror became SEXY! That's of course not to say that sex hasn't always been there. But now it was changing, becoming more fantastic, more surreal, more erotic! For my buck, nothing represented this emergence better than the lesbian vampire film.

Everything has its origins, and lesbian vampires are no different. Oddly enough, England’s Hammer studios in 1970 & 71 released two films- Countess Dracula and The Vampire Lovers (both of which feature the beautiful Ingrid Pitt), that trace back to a couple of the most influential sources for this sexy horror sub-genre. Though they hardly represented the fantastique style that Jess Franco's Vampyros Lesbos did around the same time, they both give fairly good representations of the two main sources we'll discuss here.

First, is Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory (Erzsébet Báthory), later deemed in history as "The Blood Countess". It's believed that between the years 1585 and 1610, she and four alleged collaborators tortured and killed anywhere from 300 to 650 young females and children.

With her case being well over three centuries old, it's almost impossible to discern truth from fiction. However, it's the myths and rumors that came after her secretive trial that still gets whispered today. One of those such stories was the focus of director Peter Sasdy's 1971 film, Countess Dracula. According to legend, Elizabeth was furious at one of her servant girls one day and slapped her so hard that she got blood on her hand. Upon washing it off, she felt that it made her skin look more young and beautiful. So after consulting with one of her alchemist servants about the event, they believed that bathing in the blood of virgins would help to restore her youth and beauty. It was then rumored later, that girls would be strung upside down by their feet and punctured for their blood to fill the Countess' bath.

In Sasdy's Countess Dracula, that legend is expanded upon. Here, Ingrid Pitt plays Countess Elisabeth Nodosheen (obviously modeled after Bathory). In this account, blood to the skin has a bit more of a dramatic effect -- it turns the Countess from an elderly woman into a vivacious young vixen! Regrettably, the love interest here isn't another woman, but rather a handsome young lieutenant. On the commentary track of MGMs dvd, Pitt seemed somewhat disappointed that the film didn't more accurately portray the real life Countess.

Thank God for the Europeans! In 1974, director Walerian Borowczyk released Contes Immoraux ("Immoral Tales"), which contains four taboo infested segments, one of them entitled "Erzsébet Bathory". Just as the real Countess did, this segment begins with Elizabeth and her servants entering into a nearby village, scouting out young girls that would satisfy her lustful appetite for blood. They were chosen by their beauty and for the attractiveness of their bodies. Once taken back to the castle, the girls are given the opportunity to bathe and fondle each other, whilst the Countess and her young nymph guardian watch. Later, when being given a cup of poisoned wine, the girls turn to animal savagery. They rip away at each others tender flesh, as well as the Countess' clothing as she rolls among them in ecstasy. Borowczyk then ends the scene in a very clever way...as the sounds of screaming and wailing grow louder, he cuts to a shot of the young guardian removing her sword. Instantly, he breaks into silence, cutting to a shot of a blood filled tub. You know right away that all the girls have been slaughtered. And then in peace and quiet, Elizabeth steps in and enjoys her bloody bath -- which, by the way, looks very real!

A funny thing about these sort of films...sometimes the vampire or lesbian aspects are only implied, such as in Harry Kümel's, Daughters of Darkness (1971). In this story the Countess Bathory (though she's fashioned much more after Marlene Dietrich) has her affections set on a lovely girl named Valerie. To gain her love, she feels that she must prove to Valerie that her new husband is a sadist and a pig towards women. Now while there is the drinking of blood in this picture, it never really shows the Countess as what you would call a "traditional" vampire.

Just as in the case of the real life Countess, none of the recorded documents from her trial ever mentioned anything about blood baths. But what was far more shocking, and what you don't often hear is the real life accounts of what did happen. Testimony from Bathory's accomplices and a few lucky survivors revealed why she was often likened to a vampire. She no doubt had a blood fascination. Accounts were told of her doing such things as slitting the folds of skin between girls fingers, or when ill, she would have girls brought to her bedside so that she could stick them with pins and bite away at their flesh (often times their genitalia). In the end, the Countess was charged for only 80 counts of murder. Her accomplices were tortured and then killed. But because of her nobility, she was given a life sentence. Bricked up in a special chamber of the castle, she was kept alive by small slits in the wall, only allowing air and food to enter in (Ingrid Pitt's character in Countess Dracula suffers a similar fate). After nearly four years of imprisonment, Elizabeth Bathory died on August 21, 1614.

The second of the major influences upon this genre is an 1872 gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, entitled Carmilla (also said to have been a major influence upon Bram Stoker's Dracula). It was spread out over three issues of the magazine The Dark Blue and later released the same year by the author in a collection of short stories- In a Glass Darkly. While it may have been Elizabeth Bathory that most represented the "blood" quality of these female vampires, it was definitely Carmilla that more inspired their lesbian tendencies. Though the novella never actually delves too deeply into the matter, things are definitely implied.

Hammer films sure picked up on this. In 1970 they released The Vampire Lovers, the first of three films which would latter be deemed "The Karnstein Trilogy". It's in this film, directed by Roy Ward Baker, that a somewhat faithful adaptation of Carmilla is given.

Having earlier escaped the vampire hunter Barton Hartog, Carmilla (also as aliases Marcilla and Mircalla, played by Ingrid Pitt) years later appears at a birthday party for Laura, the daughter of General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) and becomes their houseguest. It's not long after, that Laura begins to have horrible nightmares and suddenly dies from illness. When inspected upon by a doctor, it's discovered that there are bite marks on her left breast.

After quickly disappearing, Carmilla and her Governess are soon involved in a (more than likely staged) coach incident. To their rescue are Roger Morton and his daughter Emma, who offer to take in Carmilla while the Governess continues on by horse to see a dying friend. Little do they know that Carmilla is the same mysterious woman who visited their friends, the Spielsdorfs! With the loss of Laura, Emma is happier than ever to find a new friend. But not half as much as Carmilla, who will become obsessed for the young beauty, often times making romantic advances towards her.

Just as in the last case, poor Emma begins to have horrible nightmares about a cat-like creature that sneaks into her bed and bites her. Falling under Carmilla's spell, Emma slowly begins to give in to her new friend and accepts her lustful bite, which also makes her become very ill.

When her worried father goes out to find help for Emma, he incidentally catches up with General Spielsdorf. In conversation, they soon realize that the same thing that happened with Laura is now happening with Emma. Coincidentally riding along with the General is the previously mentioned vampire hunter, Barton hartog, who knows exactly what they must do with Carmilla. Find her crypt and destroy it!

Just a couple of years after The Vampire Lovers came a Spanish take on the story...The Blood Splattered Bride (1972, Vicente Aranda). In this loose adaptation, the plot is focused more on female revenge, though the lesbian sub-plot is definitely there. Also, in place of a gothic setting, Aranda used his own exquisite visual style, having the color purple be dominant. And then again, two years later in '74 came José Ramón Larraz' Vampyres. While it isn't really an adaptation of the novella at all, it's entirely likely that the two leads were modeled after Laura/Emma and Carmilla relationship. Vampyres, by the way, is one of the more brutal films of this sort you will see.

Several other lesbian vampire films would come along in the 70s, many of them having the more erotic and surreal qualities. Jean Rollin (considered by many to be the maestro of the genre) released such classics as The Shiver of the Vampires (1970), Requiem for a Vampire (1971) and Lips of Blood (1975). And Franco would have great success with Vampyros Lesbos (1971, featuring the gorgeous Soledad Miranda) and Female Vampire (1973). Though I don't believe Bathory or Carmilla was ever directly connected with their films, I can't help but think they must have still been huge inspirations.

With Hollywood and other mainstream media today releasing cgi-infested turd after turd, or perhaps one more lame remake, it would appear to this vampire lover that these great lesbo lovin' films of the seventies are more relevant today than ever!