Female Vampire

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: That Jess Franco sure was wacky. This ultra-sexy 70's vamp flick probably arouses me more than any modern softcore film, but it's still not as good as Vampire Femmes or Vampyres. The woman here isn't really a vampire in the monster sense of the word. She's more of an energy sucker, kills by sucking sexual energy from her victims. The bad acting will get on some's nerves, and the plot is ludicrous, but if you buy this film to begin with, you can't expect Citizen Kane. A good b-movie sexfest.

Rating:
Summary: Moody Ethereal Horror From Franco
Review: The new IMAGE DVD of Jess Franco's "Female Vampire" is a welcome addition to any Francophile or euro-horror fan's collection. The movie reeks with an ethereal mood and pace and the euro-lounge theme music (played through about 90% of the flick!) is catchy and will haunt you long afterwards. Irina the lonely vampire goes from one victim to the next --- that's about it for story --- but who cares! This is Franco at his best! Be forewarned --- this is definitely a Very Mature movie so keep the young ones away! Released in a few different versions over the years, this 101 minute version is closest to "The Loves of Irina" version once released on VHS by Private Screenings. Alternate scenes from the "Erotikill" version are included as a supplement (app. 8 minutes) and basically include all the attack scenes which show Irina drinking blood. For some reason, the alternate scenes are not in chronological order. The movie is letterboxed at 2.35:1 and looks fine, but some shots seem to be over matted (but maybe that's just the way it is). Image quality is a bit soft and there are two moments of print damage (streaking of image for app. 30 seconds -sprocket hole damage?), but basically it's a very nice presentation and a MUST BUY!!! The DVD also has one trailer (in French only).

Rating:
Summary: Moody Ethereal Horror From Franco
Review: The new IMAGE DVD of Jess Franco's "Female Vampire" is a welcome addition to any Francophile or euro-horror fan's collection. The movie reeks with an ethereal mood and pace and the euro-lounge theme music (played through about 90% of the flick!) is catchy and will haunt you long afterwards. Irina the lonely vampire goes from one victim to the next --- that's about it for story --- but who cares! This is Franco at his best! Be forewarned --- this is definitely a Very Mature movie so keep the young ones away! Released in a few different versions over the years, this 101 minute version is closest to "The Loves of Irina" version once released on VHS by Private Screenings. Alternate scenes from the "Erotikill" version are included as a supplement (app. 8 minutes) and basically include all the attack scenes which show Irina drinking blood. For some reason, the alternate scenes are not in chronological order. The movie is letterboxed at 2.35:1 and looks fine, but some shots seem to be over matted (but maybe that's just the way it is). Image quality is a bit soft and there are two moments of print damage (streaking of image for app. 30 seconds -sprocket hole damage?), but basically it's a very nice presentation and a MUST BUY!!! The DVD also has one trailer (in French only).

Rating:
Summary: Boobs & Bush
Review: This can't really be called a movie, Simply calling it footage would be more appropriate. The camera operator must have been incredibly inept. There's constant out of focus zoom shots. This was made before video assist was available on cameras so I think that accounts for most of the errors.

That said, the real reason I saw this movie was to look at naked women while I masturbated and it got the job done. The lead actress has nice full lips and breasts, a cute overbite, and a little baby fat. She's naked throughout the entire movie and a handful of other women join her in the buff. The fake sex was lame but the ample flesh made up for everything. I also enjoyed the kinky moments like when the blind man inspects a dead woman's genitals.

Rating:
Summary: Not a horror version but a sex version
Review: When you look at the coverart of this DVD, you would expect a horror movie. But instead of that, you get tons of boring nudity, no atmosphere and no real vampires. Yes, it's cut, nearly all the horror of the original version "Erotikill / Black Countess" has been removed. The female vampire in this movie doesn't kill with her fangs... Jess Franco directed some nice movies in the past : I can recommend "Awfull dr. Orloff" and "Bloody Judge", but he has made a lot of worthless trash too. Avoid if you are a horror fan. The additional footage (ten minutes) of the horror only version is definitely not enough... They should have made a DVD with the complete horror version!

Rating:
Summary: Franco's Best
Review: While many Francophiles sing the praises of Vampyros Lesbos or one of the director's several Dr. Orloff's ripoffs, it's Female Vampire that enshrines this director in the pantheon. Released in several forms--including one that featured hardcore inserts and one that removed the vampire element altogether--Female Vampire tells the story of Countess Irinia, a mute vampire who wanders through the movie jaded, bored and weary. The beautiful Lena Romay brings an astounding interpretation to this character, even more impressive considering she has no dialogue. Though fans of Franco will find his usual exploitation staples here, everything's handled extremely artfully. This has to be the loneliest vampire film ever made and Romay conveys an unforgettable sense of loss, world-weariness and longing.

Rating:
Summary: love at 1st bite
Review: why i actually like this film so much or chose to rate it so highly may be a great mystery to everyone including myself. female vampire isn't a great film by any means but does manage to keep my attention & make me want to revisit the world of countess irina over & over again. i've never seen any of the other versions of this film that exist or have existed such as the american version erotikill or the most similiar one to this release entitled loves of irina so i couldn't say if this is the best version or not but i think it'd be interesting to see the variations. from what i can tell so far just by watching the dvd version of female vampire, erotikill was much more bloody & this one tends to be more of a softcore film which aims to tease or provoke it's audience more often than to actually shock viewers. the film opens up with beautiful irina walking through the woods skyclad except for a black cape & a black belt around her waste. as she walks towards the screen, our director has seen fit to zoom in on her womanhood. there are several scenes in the film like this which obviously suggest director jesus franco adored this woman or perhaps even worshipped her. having said that, we see plenty of the seductive actress lina romay throughout the course of the film. there are a few scenes in the film which are actually quite beautiful & then there are a few montages which could be construed as disturbing or maybe unpleasant is the word i'm looking for here. while the atmosphere here isn't quite as good as a hammer film perhaps, i'm not disappointed. i wish we could have been told more about the past of irina through flashbacks perhaps & learned a little bit about her mysterious bloodline of vampires. or perhaps why she is mute? if this is a complaint, i don't intend it to be. the layers of mystery perhaps only add to the quality of the film & i won't hold that against mr. franco. lastly, i can only wonder if this film has ever been seen by anne rice. as sensual & provocative as the scenes are here, i had to stop & wonder. visit the female vampire & quench your thirst for truly hot passion. again, not the greatest vampire film ever made but worthwhile nevertheless.

Rating:
Summary: love at 1st bite
Review: why i actually like this film so much or chose to rate it so highly may be a great mystery to everyone including myself. female vampire isn't a great film by any means but does manage to keep my attention & make me want to revisit the world of countess irina over & over again. i've never seen any of the other versions of this film that exist or have existed such as the american version erotikill or the most similiar one to this release entitled loves of irina so i couldn't say if this is the best version or not but i think it'd be interesting to see the variations. from what i can tell so far just by watching the dvd version of female vampire, erotikill was much more bloody & this one tends to be more of a softcore film which aims to tease or provoke it's audience more often than to actually shock viewers. the film opens up with beautiful irina walking through the woods skyclad except for a black cape & a black belt around her waste. as she walks towards the screen, our director has seen fit to zoom in on her womanhood. there are several scenes in the film like this which obviously suggest director jesus franco adored this woman or perhaps even worshipped her. having said that, we see plenty of the seductive actress lina romay throughout the course of the film. there are a few scenes in the film which are actually quite beautiful & then there are a few montages which could be construed as disturbing or maybe unpleasant is the word i'm looking for here. while the atmosphere here isn't quite as good as a hammer film perhaps, i'm not disappointed. i wish we could have been told more about the past of irina through flashbacks perhaps & learned a little bit about her mysterious bloodline of vampires. or perhaps why she is mute? if this is a complaint, i don't intend it to be. the layers of mystery perhaps only add to the quality of the film & i won't hold that against mr. franco. lastly, i can only wonder if this film has ever been seen by anne rice. as sensual & provocative as the scenes are here, i had to stop & wonder. visit the female vampire & quench your thirst for truly hot passion. again, not the greatest vampire film ever made but worthwhile nevertheless.