The Karnstein Trilogy is a series of vampire films produced by Hammer Films. They were notable at the time for their daring lesbian storylines. [1] All three films were scripted by Tudor Gates. All three feature vampires of the noble Karnstein family, and their seat Castle Karnstein near the town of Karnstein in Styria, Austria.
A planned fourth film in the series, variously announced as either The Vampire Virgins or The Vampire Hunters, only got as far as the early draft stage. [3]
The vampires of the Karnstein Trilogy differ from those of the Hammer Dracula films. Here, vampires can walk about in daylight and are immune to fire (their bodies are consumed, but their spirits just create or inhabit a new body). Their weaknesses are garlic and crosses, and the only ways to kill them is by staking them through their hearts or beheading them. Some of this lore is retained in the 1972 Hammer film Vampire Circus .
Key
- A Y indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
- An O indicates a role as an older version of the character.
- A V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
- An M indicates the model served as a body double, with the actor or actress's likeness superimposed onto the model.
- An L indicates the actor or actress lent only their likeness for his or her film character.
- A P indicates an appearance through a photographic still.
- An A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
- A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
Character | Main films | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
The Vampire Lovers | Lust for a Vampire | Twins of Evil | ||
1970 | 1971 | |||
Marcilla "Carmilla" Countess Mircalla Karnstein Lady Durward | Ingrid Pitt | Yutte Stensgaard | Katya Wyeth | |
General Spielsdorf | Giles Barton | Peter Cushing | Ralph Bates | Peter Cushing |
Gustav Weil | ||||
Landlord | Charles Farrell | Michael Brennan | ||
Count Karnstein Lord Hagen Durward | Mentioned | Mike Raven | Damien Thomas | |
1st Villager | Nick Brimble | |||
The Countess Karnstein | Dawn Addams | Mentioned | ||
Roger Morton | George Cole | |||
The Governess Mademoiselle Perrodot | Kate O'Mara | |||
Emma Morton | Madeline Smith | |||
Baron Joachim von Hartog | Douglas Wilmer | |||
Carl Ebhardt | Jon Finch | |||
Doctor | Ferdy Mayne | |||
Laura | Pippa Steel | |||
The First Vampire | Kirsten Lindholm | |||
The Man in Black | John Forbes-Robertson | |||
Housekeeper | Shelagh Wilcocks | |||
Gretchin | Janet Key | |||
Renton | Harvey Hall | |||
Richard LeStrange | Michael Johnson | |||
The Countess Herritzen | Barbara Jefford | |||
Janet Playfair | Suzanna Leigh | |||
Miss Simpson | Helen Christie | |||
Inspector Heinrich | Harvey Hall | |||
Susan Pelley | Pippa Steel | |||
Amanda | Judy Matheson | |||
Raymond Pelley | David Healy | |||
Biggs | Jonathan Cecil | |||
Professor Herz | Erik Chitty | |||
Bishop | Jack Melford | |||
Hans | Christopher Neame | |||
Peasant Girl | Kirsten Lindholm | |||
Trudi | Luan Peters | |||
Coachman | Chris Cunningham | |||
Schoolgirl | Sue Longhurst | |||
Katy Weil | Kathleen Byron | |||
Maria Gellhorn | Mary Collinson | |||
Frieda Gellhorn | Madeleine Collinson | |||
Anton Hoffer | David Warbeck | |||
Joachim | Roy Stewart | |||
Ingrid Hoffer | Isobel Black | |||
Franz | Harvey Hall | |||
Hermann | Alex Scott | |||
Dietrich | Dennis Price | |||
Lady in Coach | Shelagh Wilcox | |||
Woodman | Inigo Jackson | |||
Woodman's Daughter | Judy Matheson | |||
Young Girl at Stake | Kirsten Lindholm | |||
Gerta | Luan Peters | |||
Gaoler | Peter Thompson |
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 Mircalla, Countess 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.
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and metaphysician. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypal parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction. Some later works tell new stories about Van Helsing, while others, such as Dracula (2020) and I Woke Up a Vampire (2023) have characters that are his descendants.
Dr Terrible's House of Horrible is a satirical British comedy horror anthology series created by Graham Duff, who co-wrote the series with Steve Coogan. BBC Two broadcast the series in 2001. The title parodies Amicus Productions' anthology film Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965). Coogan presents each episode as Dr. Terrible, and plays various roles throughout.
Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of the 1872 novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. By 2005, the Dracula character had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character except Sherlock Holmes.
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.
Vampires are frequently represented in popular culture across various forms of media, including appearances in ballet, films, literature, music, opera, theatre, paintings, and video games.
Lesbian vampirism is a trope in early gothic horror and 20th century exploitation film. The archetype of a lesbian vampire used the fantasy genre to circumvent the heavy censorship of lesbian characters in the realm of social realism.
Yutte Stensgaard is a Danish actress born in Thisted, Jutland, Denmark, best known for her starring role in Hammer's Lust for a Vampire (1971).
Lust for a Vampire, also known as Love for a Vampire or To Love a Vampire, is a 1971 British Hammer Horror film directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Barbara Jefford, Suzanna Leigh, Michael Johnson, and Yutte Stensgaard. It was given an R rating in the United States for some violence, gore, strong adult content and nudity. It is the second film in the Karnstein Trilogy, loosely based on the 1872 Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla. It was preceded by The Vampire Lovers (1970) and followed by Twins of Evil (1971). The three films do not form a chronological development, but use the Karnstein family as the source of the vampiric threat and were somewhat daring for the time in explicitly depicting lesbian themes.
Twins of Evil is a 1971 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Peter Cushing, with Damien Thomas and the real-life identical twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson.
Vampires vs. Zombies is a 2004 American independent horror film loosely based upon J. Sheridan Le Fanu's classic 1872 novel Carmilla. Unlike Le Fanu's story, however, most of the action in the film takes place inside a car. The title and cover artwork were obviously inspired by the then-current horror film Freddy vs. Jason, but the movie itself bears less resemblance to this counterpart compared to other, more blatant Asylum mockbusters. The movie was originally titled Vampires vs. Zombies, but it has since then been changed to Carmilla, the Lesbian Vampire. Vince D'Amato is the director and screenwriter of this film.
Blood and Roses is a 1960 erotic horror film directed by Roger Vadim. It is based on the novella Carmilla (1872) by Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu, shifting the book's setting in 19th-century Styria to the film's 20th-century Italy.
Lesbian Vampire Killers is a 2009 British comedy horror film directed by Phil Claydon and written by Stewart Williams and Paul Hupfield. The film stars James Corden and Mathew Horne, with MyAnna Buring, Vera Filatova, Silvia Colloca and Paul McGann in supporting roles.
Jerry Dandrige is a fictional character from the Fright Night franchise, a vampire who first appears in the 1985 film Fright Night portrayed by Chris Sarandon, which was later spun-off into a comic book series that used Sarandon's likeness. Dandrige, portrayed by Colin Farrell, also appears in the 2011 remake, in both of which he is the main antagonist. The original screenplay and film credits spell his last name "Dandrige", but some secondary sources, including the makers of the tie-in comics, use the spelling, "Dandridge".
The Toxic Avenger is an American superhero black comedy splatter film media franchise created by Lloyd Kaufman. It originated with the 1984 film of the same name and continued through three film sequels, a stage musical, a comic book series from Marvel Comics, a video game, and an animated television series.
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.
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.
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.
Dracula is a British horror film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films are centered on Count Dracula, bringing with him a plague of vampirism, and the ensuing efforts of the heroic Van Helsing family to stop him. The original series of films consisted of nine installments, which starred iconic horror actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing, respectively. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.