Terror in the Crypt – also known as Crypt of Terror – is a 1964 Italian/Spanish horror film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque [credited as Thomas Miller] (An Angel for Satan), from a screenplay by Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii (also assistant director).
The story was loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu’s lesbian-themed novella Carmilla. The film’s original release titles are La cripta e l’incubo and La Maldicion de los Karnstein. The score was by Carlo Savina (see below).
Cast:
Christopher Lee, Adriana Ambesi, Ursula Davis, José Campos, Véra Valmont, A. Midlin, Carla Calò, Nela Conjiu, José Villasante.
Plot teaser:
Count Ludwig Karnstein (Christopher Lee) dreads his daughter may fall prey to the curse upon his family, a curse which promises the witch Sheena will eventually be reincarnated in a Karnstein descendant. Could Laura really be a vampiric killer?
Reviews:
‘With its cheesy Sunday afternoon horror thrills (and some wild-eyed and voluptuous ladies), Crypt of the Vampire is a whole lot of fun. There’s melodrama, mysterious manuscripts and some gruesome business involving the severed hand of a hunchbacked beggar.’ Doomed Moviethon
‘Brimming with atmosphere and shot in glorious black and white in and around authentic gothic ruins, Crypt of the Vampire has all the proper ingredients to affix it to the better movies made during the salad days of Italian horror. Although the film is sluggish at times, veteran director Mastrocinque … instills some truly haunting and shadowy imagery, especially when Laura’s macabre fever dreams are in full swing.’ George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
‘The crepuscular atmosphere with candlelit interiors, the obligatory crypt and, on stormy nights, a bell tolling in a ruined church, lack the bite of a genuinely perverse force while all attempts at eroticism are foiled by the bovine incomprehension of the participants.’ Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Enclyclopedia: Horror
Choice dialogue:
“I like these ancient castles… they have such an atmosphere of mystery.”
“I’ve killed her. I’m a monster! I want to die!”
