United Kingdom

Horror

VirginVampireTwin sisterWitch burningCastleSatanismPuritanBonfireWitch huntSister sister relationship

John Hough

Peter Cushing, Dennis Price, Madeleine Collinson, Mary Collinson, Isobel Black, Kathleen Byron

Tudor Gates

The Rank Organisation, Hammer Film Productions

Taglines: Which is the Virgin? Which is the Vampire?

While dabbling in Satanism, Count Karstein resurrects Mircalla Karnstein who initiates him into vampirism. As a rash of deaths afflicts the village, Gustav the head of Puritan group leads his men to seek out and destroy the pestilence. One of his twin nieces has become inflicted with the witchcraft but Gustav's zeal and venom has trapped the innocent Maria, threatening her with a tortuous execution, whilst Frieda remains free to continue her orgy of evil.

Reviews:

Author: Wuchak
***Great Gothic horror ambiance, good cast, magnificent score, so-so story*** Orphaned twin sisters (Madeleine & Mary Collinson) are forced to move from Venice to Styria, Austria, to live with their puritan uncle (Peter Cushing), who’s hell-bent on hunting down witches and burning them at the stake. One of the sisters, Frieda (Madeleine), refuses to tolerate her uncle’s legalistic abuse and is drawn to the diabolic hedonism happening at nearby Karnstein Castle. Once Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas) performs a satanic ritual that resurrects his vampiric ancestor, Mircalla, and he is converted to the undead, he intends to do the same with Frieda. “Twins of Evil” (1971) is the third entry in Hammer’s so-called Karnstein Trilogy, named after the female vampire Mircalla, who is actually Countess Carmilla Karnstein (note the anagram). The previous two films are "The Vampire Lovers" (1970) and "Lust for a Vampire" (1971). This one is a prequel to those, all three based on “Carmilla” by Irish novelist Sheridan Le Fanu, which was originally published as a serial in 1871-72, some 26 years before Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Of the Karnstein Trilogy, “Twins of Evil” bears the least resemblance to “Carmilla” as it adds a witch-hunting angle (that naturally brings to mind 1968’s “Witchfinder General,” aka “The Conqueror Worm”) and Carmilla is decidedly a peripheral character, upstaged by the Dracula-like Count Karnstein. Damien Thomas, incidentally, is quite charismatic in the role and just as effective, if not better, compared to Christopher Lee. I’m not sure when this story take place. The Puritan-like apparel worn by the religious brotherhood makes it seem like sometime in the 1600s. The actresses who play the titular twins were the first identical twin Playmates of the Month for Playboy. They appeared in the mag in October, 1970, the year before this flick was released. They’re certainly cute and are surprisingly effective in their roles, but they don’t do anything for me on an erogenous level. However, the good twin/bad twin theme is compelling, although it contradicts the title. In addition, there’s an interesting subplot about how legalism can morph a good man into a dour killjoy. While the Karnsteins & their converts are wholly satanic, Gustav Weil (Cushing) & his Brotherhood have fallen prey to a less overt kind of evil in the form of religious legalism. Meanwhile Anton Hoffer (David Warbeck) represents the honorable middle ground. The score by British composer Harry Robinson is outstanding with a slight Spaghetti Western flare. The movie even has the feel of a Western in the first act, but it turns to Gothic horror as soon as the satanic rituals & vampirism surface. Aside from the Collinson twins, “Twins of Evil” features a nice smorgasbord of females. The film runs 1 hour and 27 minutes and was shot at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. GRADE: B-/C+