Vampyres (1974) Starring Marianne Morris & Anulka Dziubinska Written by D. Daubeney, José Ramón Larraz & Thomas Owen Directed by José Ramón Larraz

Even though Fran is using Ted for a nicely moderated supply of blood, she doesn't keep him chained up nor does she have him locked up in some dungeon or anything awful like that. In fact, it's quite the apposite as most of the time they spend together they get along very well, they drink a whole lot of awesome vampire wine and the whipped cream topping is she bangs him constantly. Sure, she drinks his blood on occasion, but he is usually too sloshed (or kind of drugged from the potent wine) to know better, and the only evidence is the small incision on his forearm. There are a few other guys that are brought home by Miriam but none of them can seem to make it through the night alive, while Ted gets the all-star ass treatment on a nightly basis. Ted begins figure out that something is afoot with the two women when the other guys show up dead, wherein he gets all inquisitive with Fran and Miriam, wanting to know what is going on and why is he feeling so strange.

Now, I don't know if it's just me, but who in their right mind wants to fuck up such a good thing with questions? You see, I, in no way, support murder. I personally believe that killing is bad, it's not cool at all, and this is a stance that I have always taken. However, for the sake of argument, is there really a better way to live than spending your nights drinking, smoking butts, banging ladies with very healthy upper bodies and all of it under the roof of a palatial Gothic estate located in a beautiful English countryside? The answer is simple, it would only be better if Pam Grier circa that time period was to show up and make this a threesome with some soul, but otherwise, the answer is a resounding no.

Since I briefly brought up the setting where the film was shot, I should elaborate a little more on the incredible location as it is a huge part of what makes Vampyres a step above the average Euro-trash film. The movie simply drips with a copious amount of atmosphere, and the ominous Victorian Gothic country house and dreary nearby cemetery instantly call back to the Hammer films from the 60s and early 70s. Which is not surprising since the film was actually shot at Oakley Court, which is adjourned to Bray studios where Hammer Films made its home for quite some time during its heyday. So there were more than a few Hammer Horror films that have been lensed at Oakley Court as well as a handful of other well known movies.

Neither Miriam or Fran sport fangs nor do they ever show any sort of superhuman strength, nevertheless, they are undead, and they do have sexual desires as well as an intense bloodlust. Their powers seem to lay in their sexuality and ability to wine and dine their victims, and watching Fran and Miriam work one over on Ted and all the other men they pick up, is really the appeal of Vampyres. Both actresses do a bang-up job for what they are asked to do and they work very well off each other, with the stand out being Morris who can convey a predatory like innocence with her sly facial expressions and the knowing look in her big beautiful eyes.

Fantastic atmosphere, the perfect setting, gorgeous naked women and all mixed with a little bit of blood, and you have yourself a true contender for a great Exploitation horror film. Even if the movie moves very slowly and the bloodshed is a little light for much of the runtime (until the incredible ending, that is), there is a surrealistic quality to Vampyres with all of the sex, the Gothic setting and the seduction feeling much like a dreary nightmare mixed with a wet dream. And oh what a dream it is.