Night of the vampires
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Night of the vampires |
| Original title | La noche de Walpurgis |
| Country of production | Spain , Germany |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1971 |
| length | 85 (Spanish version), 87 (German version) minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 18 |
| Rod | |
| Director | León Klimovsky |
| script |
Jacinto Molina , Hans Munkel |
| production | Salvadore Romero |
| music | Antón García Abril |
| camera | Leopoldo Villaseñor |
| cut | Antonio Gimeno |
| occupation | |
| |
Night of the Vampires (original title: La noche de Walpurgis ) is a 1970 Spanish-German co-production of horror , trash and exploitation film starring the Spanish horror film star Paul Naschy (alias Jacinto Molina). It was directed by the Argentinian film director León Klimovsky , who was well-known for this genre in the early 1970s . The film had its world premiere on May 17, 1971 in Madrid, its German premiere took place on October 8, 1971.
action
The film begins with two old men attending an autopsy, one of whom is the doctor Dr. Hartwig. When his colleague points out that the dead man, a certain Waldemar Daninsky, wears the werewolf mark on his chest, the coroner just laughs. He takes a silver bullet from the corpse. Then the dead comes back to life and turns into a werewolf. He attacks both men and then piles outside. In the forest he is about to tear his next victim, a woman.
In Paris, the young student Elvira tells her friend Marcel that she is currently writing her thesis on a certain Countess Wandesa Dárvula de Nadasdy, who was considered a sorceress and witch in the Middle Ages, drank the blood of virgins and had dedicated herself to black magic. One day she took it too far and challenged the church to such an extent that she was killed with a silver cross rammed into her chest. The next morning Elvira leaves with her friend and fellow student Genevieve to follow the trail of the mysterious countess. During the drive, Genevieve even jokes about Count Dracula as the area they are going to gets more and more remote.
When they break down in their car, Elvira finds a man in a dilapidated house who introduces himself as Waldemar and is ready to help them. He is a writer, he claims, and invites the two of them to spend the next few days at his country estate, as the next town is still very far away. When Elvira talks about her project over dinner, the search for the grave of a once infamous witch who practices black magic, the host freezes. The first night Elvira cannot fall asleep and is constantly staring at the bedroom door, which cannot be locked. In fact, in the middle of the thunderstorm night, the door opens and a confused-looking woman approaches her. In three languages (German, English and French) she advises Elvira to leave the house as soon as possible. A little later Waldemar appears and explains to Elvira that this was his mentally confused sister. He apologizes for her strange appearance and leaves the room again.
The next morning, Waldemar explains to Elvira in more detail what his sister is all about. In the meantime, Genevieve visits the site and finds himself in a half-ruined building with iron chains dangling from the walls. There she is attacked by Waldemar's sister and almost strangled. Waldemar and Elvira hear their screams and see them lying unconscious on the ground. Later all three set out to look for the grave of the countess witch, which is said to be near a monastery. In fact, they find the grave and Waldemar opens it. Elvira doesn't want to be there and leaves. Genevieve wants to take a few photos of the witch Wandesa and stays. She sees the silver cross stuck in the chest of the blood countess's crumbling body and wants to pull it out. She injured her wrist and drops of her blood fell on the skull of the dead.
In the coming night, it is full moon again, the heaped earth jerks over the grave of Countess Wandesa. One hand protrudes from the ground. When Genevieve goes into the kitchen to get some water for the night, she hears someone calling her voice. In front of her appears, like a flickering apparition, the risen witch countess. Clouds of mist waft through the house, and Genevieve follows the Countess' calls outside. When she arrives, she gives the ghostly witch her injured arm, which the bloodsucker bites gently. Then Genevieve gives herself completely to the witch who has become a vampire. Waldemar's sister Elisabeth watches the ghostly goings-on from a distance.
In the meantime, worried Elvira is looking for her missing friend. When she returns through the fog, she is transformed. She looks and speaks completely enraptured and raves about the encounter with Countess Wandesa. "It's wonderful ... come with us ... I'll show you what joy is ..." she prompts Elvira. When Waldemar suddenly appears, Genevieve runs away screaming. He is holding a silver crucifix high in the air. The next day, Waldemar sends Elvira, armed with a cross, to safety in the next town. Meanwhile, he buries his sister, who has obviously been bitten by the vampirized Genevieve, after first impaling her and then separating her head from her torso. On the drive to the next town - it has already got dark again - Elvira meets her friend who has become a vampire, as well as Wandesa, who both fled when Elvira shows them her cross.
Elvira returns to Waldemar, but he asks her to leave as quickly as possible, even though both have fallen in love. Waldemar can already hear the werewolf's lure within himself. When the moon is full again, Waldemar transforms and escapes into the darkness of the night. Elvira falls asleep and has a terrible nightmare. In which they visit the two vampires. Wandesa cuts her neck in it and catches the virgin blood flowing out in a goblet, which the two vampire women empty. Waldemar returns the next morning and tells Elvira the whole story about his being a werewolf. Both decide to finally put an end to Wandesa together. The following night, Genevieve visits Elvira, and she lets her bite her neck. Waldemar Genevieve is already lying in wait at her grave and stakes her after a short fight. At the moment of Genevieve's release from her vampire existence, the wounds on Elvira's neck also disappear. Wandesa is waiting in vain for Genevieve's return.
Waldemar asks Elvira to chain him up so that he cannot roam around as a werewolf again the following night. In fact, he changes, but can soon tear himself away and save Elvira from an intrusive man who was supposed to drive her to the village last. When her friend from Paris, Marcel, came by a little later, Waldemar asked Elvira to come back with him. Because the next night is Walpurgis Night , and the witches would be at the height of their power. It would then be too dangerous for them to stay. Marcel and Elvira do not get far. Twilight is breaking again and Wandesa lies in wait for the two of them in a wooded area and takes them prisoner in their hiding place. Elvira is laid out in a shrine and prepared as a sacrifice. Waldemar appears with the cross, and Wandesa backs away. He frees Elvira, who goes to see Marcel, who is still chained. It's full moon again, and Waldemar turns into a werewolf one more time.
In the final fight between him and the vampire, he kills her. Then Elvira grabs the silver cross and rams it into Waldemar's chest in order to finally redeem him. “Now you are forever free,” she says to the dying man. The werewolf turns back into Waldemar, and the chains on the walls fall off, freeing Marcel too. Both go outside. A new morning has dawned.
Production notes
Jacinto Molina alias Paul Naschy made his breakthrough in his home country Spain in 1967 with the depiction of the wolf man in the horror piece The Vampires by Dr. Dracula . Since then he has mainly been used with various roles in horror films; the local audience always associated him with this mythical creature, which he embodied again after three years in Night of the Vampires .
After her leading role in the German horror film Witches Tormented to the Blood , the Austrian Gaby Fuchs was also engaged for this Spanish-German film production. At her side was her German colleague Barbara Capell , who was the same age and gave her farewell performance in the movie.
Director León Klimovsky came to fame late. At the beginning of the 1970s he started his career as a horror trash film specialist with Night of the Vampires . This was followed by more horror pieces (The Night of the Bloody Wolves, The Rebellion of the Living Corpses , The Death Choir of the Bone Men, The Crypt of Horror) , all of which were panned by criticism, but enjoyed a certain popularity with the discerning audience.
On the German side, the Munich production company HIFI-Stereo-70 Filmvertrieb KG, which had already co-produced the classic horror film Witches Tormented to the Blood , was involved in the production of Night of the Vampires .
The film was shot in the studio in Madrid as well as on locations in Monasterio del Cercón, Navacerrada and San Martín de Valdeiglesias.
To increase sales opportunities abroad, the film was shot entirely in English.
Reviews
The film's large lexicon of people recalled the Night of the Vampires : "While this strip triggered a mixture of laughter and bewilderment among German critics, it developed almost cult status in Spain."
In Films 1971–76 and in the Lexicon of International Films you can read about the film: "Unimaginatively staged, silly horror story."
Spain's Guia del video-cine judged the vampires overnight: “La más celebre de las interpretaciones de Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina) y en un film que incluso goza de cierta popularidad, todavia me pregunto por qué. Disarmatemente pobre (de medios, de gracia, de imaginación) 'match' entre una vampira… y nuestro Hombre-Lobo de todo la vida… "
In a review by Die Beste Horrorfilme.de it says: “There are too many lengths, too many logic errors and too little tension. The shaggy werewolf, who is actually the good guy here and longs for redemption, doesn't really look scary and the few gore scenes don't knock anyone off their feet anymore. In places one has the impression that a script is missing. B. full moon every night. ”But:“ Trash fans get their money's worth here, because the film has a lower level of entertainment value and involuntary comedy. ”
Web links
- Night of vampires in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Night of the Vampires at filmportal.de
- Night of the Vampires in allrovi.com
- Night of the Vampires in The Best Horror Films.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 5: L - N. Rudolf Lettinger - Lloyd Nolan. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 505.
- ^ Films 1971–76, Handbook IX of the Catholic Film Critics. JP Bachem publishing house in Cologne 1977, page 218.
- ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films Volume 6, p. 2707. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.
- ^ Carlos Aguilar: Guia del video-cine, p. 819, 4th edition. Madrid 1992
- ↑ Translation: “The most famous role of Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina) and that in a film that enjoys a certain popularity, I still wonder why. Disarmingly poor (in terms of means, grace, imagination) encounter of a vampire ... with our lifelong wolf man ... "
- ↑ Night of the Vampire Film Critics ( Memento of the original from November 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
