Carmilla (film)

Last updated

Carmilla
Carmilla 2019 film poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEmily Harris
Screenplay byEmily Harris
Based on Carmilla
by Sheridan Le Fanu
Produced by
  • Lizzie Brown
  • Emily Precious
Starring
CinematographyMichael Wood
Edited byRebecca Lloyd
Music byPhilip Selway
Production
companies
  • Tilly Films
  • Bird Flight Films
  • Fred Films
Distributed byRepublic Film Distribution
Release dates
  • 28 June 2019 (2019-06-28)(Edinburgh)
  • 16 October 2020 (2020-10-16)(United Kingdom)
Running time
94 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$16,791 [2]

Carmilla is a 2019 British romantic vampire horror film written and directed by Emily Harris in her feature directorial debut. Based on the 1871 novella of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu, it stars Jessica Raine, Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, Tobias Menzies, and Greg Wise. The film follows a lonely woman preyed upon by the titular vampire.

Contents

Carmilla premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 28 June 2019, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2020.

Premise

Lara lives with her father and her strict governess, Miss Fontaine, in total isolation, and is struggling to find an outlet for her curiosity and burgeoning sexuality. When a carriage crash nearby brings a young woman into the family home to recuperate, Lara is enchanted by Carmilla. The pair strike up a passionate relationship, which strikes fear in the heart of Miss Fontaine, and a complex triangulate emerges between the three women.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

On 17 August 2017, Screen Daily reported that Jessica Raine and Tobias Menzies had been cast in the film, joining Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, and illusionist Scott Silven in the production. [3]

Filming

Principal photography began in East Sussex [3] on 11 September 2017. [4]

Release

Carmilla had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 28 June 2019. [5] The film was originally set to be released in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2020 by Republic Film Distribution, [6] but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; [7] it was ultimately released in cinemas on 16 October 2020 and through video on demand on 19 October. [8] [9] In May 2020, Film Movement acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film and released it in virtual cinemas on 17 July 2020. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Carmilla</i> 1872 novel by Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 25 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871–72), the story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Countess Mircalla Karnstein. The character is a prototypical example of the lesbian vampire, expressing romantic desires toward the protagonist. The story is often anthologised, and has been adapted many times in film and other media.

<i>Dark Shadows</i> American gothic soap opera

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Osment</span> American actress, singer and songwriter (born 1992)

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<i>Lets Scare Jessica to Death</i> 1971 film by John D. Hancock

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The Vampire Lovers is a 1970 British Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams, Douglas Wilmer and Jon Finch. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is based on the 1872 Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla and is the first film in the Karnstein Trilogy, the other two films being Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971). The three films were somewhat daring for the time in explicitly depicting lesbian themes.

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Jessica Raine is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Jenny Lee in the television series Call the Midwife (2012–2014) and Verity Lambert in the television film An Adventure in Space and Time (2013). Raine portrayed Catherine Parr in Becoming Elizabeth, a historical drama featuring Elizabeth I as a teenager.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Negovanlis</span> Canadian actress and writer

Natasha Negovanlis is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and singer. She achieved international recognition for portraying Carmilla Karnstein in the YouTube web series Carmilla (2014–2016) and in the 2017 feature film based on the series.

<i>Carmilla</i> (web series) Canadian web series

Carmilla is a Canadian single-frame web series co-created by Jordan Hall, Steph Ouaknine, and Jay Bennett. The series stars Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, and is loosely based on the novella of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu. The series premiered on the Vervegirl YouTube channel on August 19, 2014. U by Kotex is the executive producer of the web series. The series takes place at the fictional Silas University in Styria, Austria, and is told through vlogs recorded by Laura, a first-year student. When Laura begins investigating the disappearance of her roommate, she is assigned a new roommate named Carmilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elise Bauman</span> Canadian actress, director, filmmaker and singer

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<i>The Unwanted</i> 2014 film by Bret Wood

The Unwanted is a 2014 American thriller film written and directed by Bret Wood. It is based on the novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu but was transposed from a Gothic tale set in Austria to a Southern Gothic setting. It stars Christen Orr in the title role, a woman who comes to a small town in the Southern US to investigate the mother she never knew. Along the way, she meets Laura and her father Troy, locals who may know something about her mother. It premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival on March 31, 2014, and Kino International released it on DVD on July 14, 2015.

<i>The Carmilla Movie</i> 2017 Canadian film

The Carmilla Movie is a 2017 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Spencer Maybee, based on the web series of the same name (2014–2016). Both the film and the web series were adapted from the 1872 gothic novella Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. The film received a limited release in Canada on October 26, 2017.

<i>The Empress</i> (TV series) 2022 historical drama series about Empress Elisabeth of Austria

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References

  1. "Carmilla (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 19 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. "Carmilla (2019)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Jessica Raine, Tobias Menzies board UK gothic drama 'Carmilla'". Screen Daily . 17 August 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. Grater, Tom (8 September 2017). "Altitude boards Jessica Raine-starring gothic drama 'Carmilla' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  5. Stewart, Sophia (27 June 2019). "EIFF 2019 Women Directors: Meet Emily Harris – "Carmilla"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. Billington, Alex (3 February 2020). "Official Trailer for Emily Harris' Gothic Novella Adaptation 'Carmilla'". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  7. Sheehan, Steven (27 March 2020). "A list of all UK film releases postponed or cancelled by the coronavirus (updated)". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  8. Dalton, Ben (16 October 2020). "'Carmilla' seals Germany, Australia deals ahead of UK release (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  9. Newman, Kim (16 October 2020). "Carmilla stirs old sapphic terrors". Sight & Sound . Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  10. Kay, Jeremy (15 May 2020). "Film Movement acquires 'Once Upon A River', Edinburgh premiere 'Carmilla' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  11. Valentin, Mel (17 July 2020). "Review: CARMILLA, New, Refreshing Take on Old Vampire Tale". Screen Anarchy . Retrieved 27 June 2021.

Further reading