Details

Release year: 1971

Storyline

In 1830, forty years to the day since the last manifestation of their dreaded vampirism, the Karnstein heirs use the blood of an innocent to bring forth the evil that is the beautiful Mircalla - or as she was in 1710, Carmilla.

Top credits

Directors

Jimmy Sangster

Writers

Cast

Barbara Jefford — Countess Herritzen
Ralph Bates — Giles Barton
Suzanna Leigh — Janet Playfair
Yutte Stensgaard — Mircalla, Carmilla Karnstein

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Did you know

• While Mircalla is being resurrected, two closeups of the bloodshot eyes of Count Karnstein are not of Mike Raven, but are clearly actually the eyes of Christopher Lee, in a shot cut in from another movie, almost certainly Scars of Dracula (1970). It's probable that the insert was used because of the striking bloodiness of the eyes, coupled with Raven's close facial resemblance to Christopher Lee.

• It was preceded by The Vampire Lovers (1970) and followed by Twins of Evil (1971). The three films do not form a chronological development, but use the Karnstein family as the source of the vampiric threat and were somewhat daring for the time in explicitly depicting lesbian themes.

• Ralph Bates was cast at very short notice: Peter Cushing was originally intended to play the lead but asked to bow out shortly before filming so that he could continue to look after his ailing wife. Bates later described this as "one of the worst films ever made."