The Karnstein Trilogy of Hammer Studios' Vampire Films:

The Karnstein Trilogy consisted of the following three films:

The Vampire Lovers (1970, UK)
Lust for a Vampire (1971, UK)
Twins of Evil (1971, UK)

Although Britain's Hammer Studios had already defined the period film from the late fifties on with its remakes of Universal horror films, the atmosphere changed with relaxed standards and ratings. The studio began to produce a series of low-budget, exploitative horror films in the early 70s.

These films took advantage of the new morality, and were characterized by deeply saturated color, bright-red blood, gothic horror, suggestive soft-core sex and graphic nudity, vampire brides, lesbian overtones, plunging necklines, and a bevy of 'Scream Queen' stars such as Ingrid Pitt.

The Vampire Lovers (1970, UK)

This was a remake of director Roger Vadim's Blood and Roses (1961), the first openly lesbian vampire film. Vadim's film had previously been adapted by Carl Dreyer for his film Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey (1932). This film was based on Carmilla, a novel by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

The MPAA declared the heavily-cut sexy vampire film R-rated, due to the erotic, sapphic-based nudity and vampire bites inflicted on female breasts. The film's poster declared: "IF YOU DARE...take the deadly passion of the BLOOD-NYMPHS."

This 1970 film by director Roy Ward Baker starred veteran Peter Finch in a small role as one of three vampire hunters, puritanical family religionist/patriarch General von Spielsdorf.

It also starred Polish actress Ingrid Pitt (in her first film for Hammer) as sexy, erotic and lesbian vampire Marcilla/Carmilla (aka Mircalla) of the centuries-old Karnstein vampire line. When her aunt Countess (Dawn Addams) was called away, Marcilla moved in, pursuing, seducing, and possessing the General's daughter, young socialite Laura Spielsdorf (Pippa Steel), who mysteriously grew pale and sickly and died from repeated vampire bites (an attending doctor noticed bite marks on her breast).

Marcilla then chose her next victim to corrupt, the innocent teenaged ingenue daughter of wealthy Britisher Roger Morton (George Cole), Emma Morton (Madeline Smith). She took a bath in her bedroom and then after leaving the tub, she chased semi-naked after Emma around and onto a bed, after she had convinced her to untie her bodice.

Lust for a Vampire (1971, UK) (aka To Love a Vampire)

After the success of The Vampire Lovers (1970), Hammer released this additional lesbian sexploitation erotic sequel with much voluptuous, bare-breasted nudity.

The publicity still for this masturbatory, Sapphic-tinged gothic fantasy-horror film was an exaggerated, graphic image of lesbian vampiress Carmilla 'Mircalla' Karnstein (Danish blonde actress-model Yutte Stensgaard, replacing Ingrid Pitt from the first film) after being revived and reborn, and exhibiting a blood-drenched chest. She was raised from the dead in a black magic ceremony by Count Karnstein (Mike Raven).

She satisfied her bloodlust by enrolling in an exclusive and elite European girl's academy (finishing school) near the Karnstein castle, filled with suitable females to seduce.

The horror film included:

• a topless backrub and massage between Carmilla and receptive roommate Susan Pelley (Pippa Steel), leading to a midnight skinny-dip and kiss
• a toothsome bloody neck kiss and lesbianism with Amanda (Judy Matheson)
• other bloody neck-bitings of the nubile females

Twins of Evil (1971, UK) (aka Twins of Dracula, The Evil Twins)

Hammer Studio's erotic vampire film (with plentiful nudity and gore, but without the lesbian plot angle) was the final installment of the Karnstein trilogy.

It was set in 17th century Austria and told about two orphaned twins, pretty buxom sisters (October 1970s Playboy Playmate twin centerfolds):

• Maria Gellhorn (Mary Collinson), virtuous
• Frieda Gellhorn (Madeleine Collinson), flirtatious, carnal

One of the film's posters declared:

One Uses Her Beauty for Love!
One Uses Her Lure for Blood!
Which is the Virgin? Which is the Vampire?

The two went to live with their oppressive and tyrannical witch-hunter Uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing), the leader of a puritanical, wench-burning Brotherhood.

In the film's plot, local nobleman/vampire and black magic practitioner Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas) seduced the amoral, sensual and lustful Frieda who was reborn as a vampire.

Frieda Gellhorn (Madeleine Collinson) as Vampiress