I find that even to this day, the cult films of Hammer Horror still inspire my horror photography work.
Hammer Horror films of the late 50’s and early 70’s play their part in the history of the female vampire. They turned a feared vampire into what most of us imagine a vampire to be today, sexy, alluring and deadly. Christopher Lee turned Dracula into a decisive, charming, erotic figure and the female vampires of these films would do anything to please their master. They knew exactly how to allure their victims with their beauty and deadly charm.
How many of you watched these films, wishing you could meet either Dracula or one of the vampires and live for eternity, knowing that no person would be able to resist your erotic charms?
I fell asleep many a night wishing for Dracula to appear in my bedroom, hypnotise me with his bloodshot eyes, sensually hold me and touch me before biting me and taking me with him for all eternity. His female victims in these films, portrayed this vision so well with their dreamy eyes staring back at him.
These Hammer Horror films were the best vampire films of all times and they are cult classics. They captured the atmosphere with the creepy music, wonderful Gothic locations, and who can forget the costumes the women wore? Heaving breasts, and see through garments.
Hammer Horror is just as popular today as they were back then, if not more popular. I’ve not seen any recent vampire movie to capture the essence of vampires as well as Hammer Horror did.
Hopefully Hammer Horror may be able to retrieve this and give us a new set of films one day.
Hammer Horror Female Vampires
Who was your favourite female vampire of Hammer Horror?
Yutte Stensgaard
Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire [DVD] [1970]
One of the Karnstein Trilogies
Yutte Stensgaard is my favourite Hammer Horror female vampire due to her character in the film displaying all the qualities I imagine a vampiress to have.
Not only is Yutte strikingly beautiful, she played the part of Mircalla exceptionally well.
Mircalla Karnstein is resurrected and sent to a boarding school. There she meets a man posing as a teacher who wishes to learn more about the Karnstein Legend. He falls in love with her and the adventure begins. Mircalla causes havoc in the school, preying on both men and women with her erotic and sedcuctive charms.
If you haven’t seen this film, go out and buy it.
Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire [DVD] [1970]
Ingrid Pitt
Hammer House of Horror : The Vampire Collection [DVD] [1980]
Ingrid Pitt starred as Countess Dracula and she starred as a vampire lesbian lover in the aptly titled film ‘Vampire Lovers’.
A few years ago, I interviewed Ingrid Pitt for an old site of mine titled ‘The Lair of the SheBitch’. Click here to read.
Caroline Munro
Caroline Munro played Laura Jane Bellows and was the first victim of the resurrected Count Dracula. A young group decide to hold a black mass ceremony in St Bartolph’s Church within Hyde Park to resurrect the Count.
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter [DVD] [1974]
Caroline got the lead role in this film where she played a girl rescued from the stocks only to be used later on as bait for the vampires.
I was lucky enough to meet Caroline Munro in person and she’s a wonderful lady and I love the portrait I took above.
Madeliene Collinson
This is also one of my favourite hammer vampire films of all time. Madeliene Collinson starred as Frieda Gellhorn and this movie is also one of the Karnstein Trilogies
Gothic horror in Hammer’s superb style when beautiful identical twins fall under the spell of a vampire. Only a crucifix-wielding vampire hunter can save them before Peter Cushing’s Puritan Sect burns them alive.
Valerie Van Ost
Satanic Rites of Dracula [DVD] [1974] [US Import] [NTSC]
This is the final film that Christopher Lee starred as Dracula.
Valerie Gaunt
Horror of Dracula [DVD] [1958]
Sexy Valerie Gaunt was the vampire who bit Jonathan Harker and she was unfortunately stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake by John Van Eyssen as she lay in her coffin. After death, her body aged rapidly.
Jenny Hanley
The Prince of Darkness casts his undead shadow once more over the cursed village of Kleinenberg when his ashes are splashed with bat’s blood and two innocent victims search for a missing loved one, who has been loved to death by the mistress of Dracula. After they discover his bloodstained corpse in Castle Dracula, the Vampire Lord’s lustful vengeance begins.
Barbara Shelley
Dracula – Prince Of Darkness [DVD] [1965]
Starred as Helen Kent.
In this Hammer Productions take on the Dracula legend, travellers visit Carlstad, ignoring many warnings, and end up spending the night at a local castle. They soon find out that the gracious host, Klove (Philip Latham), has a hidden agenda. Apparently the castle’s owner, Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), passed on 10 years before, but has been waiting for an opportunity such as this to return to the world. Bloodcurdling mayhem ensues….
Isobell Black
Isobell Black starred as Tania and regarded by many as their favourite Hammer Horror Vampire.
Madeline Smith
Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire [DVD] [1970]
