VividSimon Simply Perfect

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Lee Eisenberg Italian cinema brings to mind Federico Fellini* and his ilk. Connoisseurs of this probably don't know that Italy spent the 1970s releasing a series of sleazy horror flicks. "Il plenilunio delle vergini" ("The Devil's Wedding Night" in English) is probably most readily available as part of Elvira's Movie Macabre. The Mistress of the Dark spends the whole time commenting on the movie's lack of an obvious plot...and then her Auntie Virus comes and tries to steal the show! The movie itself - about a castle in the Carpathians to which a collection of five virgins gets drawn and never seen again - is fairly enjoyable. There's no shortage of sex and gore. In a way, these horror flicks hearken back to Italy's famous paintings showing scenes of torture and suffering.I don't know if it's possible to obtain this movie on its own. It's the sort of movie that only Elvira, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" or Joe Bob Briggs could present. It's some authentic good times. There's a reason why I got Elvira's autograph at Wizard World last year.Anyway, enjoy Miss E's presentation. Unpleasant dreams!*As it turns out, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira's portrayer) had a brief appearance in Fellini's "Roma".

christopher-underwood By no means a top notch Gothic horror but it is colourful and eventful, has the wondrous, Rosalba Neri and a cast of lovelies, all pretty keen to strip down. The ever effective Mark Damon, here plays a pair of twins with some silly mission involving a big red ring, worn throughout the film, of course by the vampiric countess (Neri) in some style. Indeed Neri is perfect in this role of the majestic yet deadly, beautiful but cruel lady of the night. Apart from the nonsense story there are one or two too many scenes of Damon on horseback or searching through corridors, but there are also such stylish set pieces, mainly involving blood and flesh, that it would be churlish to complain. Great title and if not expertly executed, certainly entertaining enough.

vaughan-34 Unlike the only other reviewer of this title, I thought this was quite terrific. Actually I was amazed at how good it is.My overall impression was of a film that had a Hammer vibe, with a couple twists - the twists being more blood (though there's not a tremendous amount), and more overt nudity (several topless shots).Other than that it is as good - and silly - as Hammer vampire flicks of the day. Sure the plot is a bit daft, the whole thing turns on possession of an ancient ring, but what do you expect from a vampire film of this era? It didn't matter to me at all.The copy I saw was from tape, so the quality wasn't great. Never mind though, seeing it was better than missing out.As for the previously mentioned "lesbian" sequences, they're tame, and along the lines of the classic Hammer film "The Vampire Lovers".So, if you're a Hammer fan who doesn't mind a slight Euro influence on the ambiance, then this is a film you simply must seek out. I think it's terrific and would buy a remastered edition in a heart beat.

MARIO GAUCI This is another disreputable "Euro-Cult" item of the Horror/Erotica variety: its director, in fact, is likened to Renato Polselli – whose vaguely similar THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL (1973) I recently watched. Mind you, this is nowhere near the incomprehensible mess that ISABEL was – but the plot also concerns vampires, sacrificial victims and lookalike protagonists (in this case, Mark Damon as twin brothers).It all starts with the search for the mythic Ring of the Nibelungens, currently residing in Transylvania(!)…which, of course, is the home of Count Dracula. When one of the Damons goes there, he finds a Countess ("Euro-Cult" starlet Rosalba Neri) living in Castle Dracula; having lost his protective amulet, he soon falls under her spell and is himself turned into a bloodsucker. Soon after, though, his twin turns up at the castle but, being the more studious of the two, he resists Neri's advances and, thinking something's not right with the place, spends a good part of the running-time roaming its various corridors and, naturally, the crypt (virtually a given for Gothic chillers)! As it turned out, the brothers happened to pick the time when five local virgins are to be sacrificed (presumably for the reincarnation of Dracula); the film's most erotic yet visually impressive sequence, as a matter of fact, shows the blood of a freshly-slain girl being spilled on the naked Countess – residing in one of the crypts – by her zombie-like black maid (yes, various horror myths are thrown in for no very good reason and with little real impact!). Anyway, it all ends with the afflicted Damon being initiated into the ways of the vampire – but he's actually been disposed of and replaced by his heroic sibling who, in no time at all, manages to disarm the various diabolists (who turn up out of nowhere) at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Neri retreats to the castle tower and, with the aid of the ring, draws the intended sacrificial victims to her – but Damon disturbs her plans even here, and she eventually perishes thanks to some providential lightning. The hero leaves the castle with a local girl he had befriended but, in a clichéd downbeat conclusion, she has been turned into a vampire (off-screen) as well – given that the driver of the coach is none other than the sinister-looking character occasionally seen prowling the castle grounds… To be fair, the tone of the piece is characteristically dream-like and it all looks pretty good for the little budget the director must have had at his disposal; on the other hand, being at once insufficiently-plotted and highly derivative, it's not memorable enough to live in the memory.