The Slaughter of the Vampires – promoted as Slaughter of the Vampires – is a 1962 Italian horror film written and directed by Roberto Mauri (Night of Violence; Kong Island). The original title is La strage dei vampiri (“The Massacre of Vampires”).
A 1966 British release by E.J. Fancey was cut for an ‘X’ certificate by the BBFC but their website contains no details of the censored material.
In the United States, the film was also re-titled Curse of the Blood Ghouls in 1969 and issued on a double-bill with Bloodsuckers.
The film was a low budget production, so much so that actor Dieter Eppler (also in Castle of the Walking Dead) stated that many cast members were not paid for their work.
Cast:
In 19th Century Germany, a newly-wed couple Marquis Wolfgang (Walter Bigari) and Louise (Graziella Granata) acquire a castle. To commemorate the occasion, Louise performs a piano piece she has written during a party. Louise then feels a strange sensation and retires to her room.
She is visited by a vampire (Dieter Eppler) who she originally sees at the party she was in and sucks her blood, leading her to desire him.
As a result, Louise’s health declines which leads to Wolfgang seeking aid from Dr. Nietzche (Luigi Batzella). Wolfgang is too late as when the doctor arrives Louise is already dead. As the doctor diagnoses this, Wolfgang is shocked to find Louise alive as she approaches him and sucks his blood.
The doctor later seeks out Louise’s hiding place and stakes her to death, along with the servant Corrine, who is also a vampire. Wolfgang’s hiding spot is not found as the doctor seeks another abode in the castle. Wolfgang, who is not entirely converted into a vampire, corners his adversary and stakes him with spikes of an iron grating…
Reviews:
” … an engaging gothic tale from the golden age of Italian horror. Filled with romantic melodrama, exceptional period costumes and exquisite locations, the film is less silly than the previous vampire films Brandi starred in, and quite frankly, more entertaining.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In
” …Mauri’s direction is tautly edited, with an impressive number of inventive set-ups and roving camera shots of good locations, and at just 79 minutes interest never flags. The film may be the first to offer a vampire bride whose ample, heaving bosom almost becomes a character in itself (themselves?). Granata’s low-cut dresses pre-date what became the standard at Hammer by a half-dozen years.” Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk
“Some good moments can be found in this otherwise lackluster film, including a highly atmospheric early bit in which the vampire spies on Louise through bushes outside her house, and a later scene in which Louise stalks Wolfgang through a courtyard at night. Graziella Granata is quite alluring as the vampirized Louise, and makes for an extremely compelling sight.” Fright.com
“Eppler’s vampiric assaults on Granata provide a few mildly erotic moments […] Ugo Brunelli’s camera makes the most of the atmospheric sets and enhances the sense of foreboding present within a few eerie clusters of trees. Aldo Piga’s heavy-handed score seems more appropriate for a tearjerker than for a vampire flick.” Lawrence McCallum, Italian Horror Films of the 1960s
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Cast and characters:
- Walter Bigari as Marquis Wolfgang
- Dieter Eppler as the vampire
- Graziella Granata as Louise
- Luigi Batzella as Dr. Nietzsche
- Gena Gimmy as Corinne
- Edda Ferronao as Nietzsche’s maid
- Carla Foscari as Teresa
- Maretta Procaccini as Resy
- Alfredo Rizzo as a servant
Filming locations:
The Castle of Monte San Giovanni, Italy
