tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post2657017104136318525..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: THE VELVET VAMPIRE 1971Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-52269415440636192792021-11-07T18:53:55.121-08:002021-11-07T18:53:55.121-08:00Hi James
First off, thanks for turning and swellin...Hi James<br />First off, thanks for turning and swelling my head with those very kind words regarding my blog! So nice of you. I guess I repeat myself when I say that I essentially write this as a film diary for myself (hence the personal bio stuff), so I'm always thrilled to the core when what I write in some way connects with someone else.<br />I mean, I never knew until I started this blog that circling the "must see" items in the TV Guide was a practice anywhere but in our home!<br />As per the the films you mention, I've not seen either, but finding out Susan George (a favorite) is in "Tintorera" is a plus. And all you had to say to catch my interest in "Count Yorga" is that it's "definitely a '70s flick". I'll check them out.<br />Thank you for the recommendations and for reading this blog and taking the time to comment in such a generous way. Take care!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-57177605208631377382021-11-07T10:31:28.871-08:002021-11-07T10:31:28.871-08:00James here.. Ken I love reading your thoughts on m...James here.. Ken I love reading your thoughts on movies that I have not seen but will be on the lookout for. Circling TV Guide standouts for the upcoming week was such a joy of the 60s and 70s. Ken you write so well. Bringing up your experiences growing up adds much to my enjoyment of reading your thoughts. Have you seen "Count Yorga"? Definitely a 70s flick in all the best ways. And just curious if "Tintorera" is on your list of viewing pleasures? "You might enjoy it" said in my best Hannbal Lector voice. Take care. Godzillafreeway@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15064078732660783694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-79523736389352609732021-04-21T14:52:00.290-07:002021-04-21T14:52:00.290-07:00Hello, Will
I agree that coming across these obscu...Hello, Will<br />I agree that coming across these obscure and/or forgotten films and getting to see them in the kind of pristine condition they perhaps never had during their theatrical runs is one of the highlights of so many DVD companies raiding the obscurity vaults of the '70s.<br />And thanks for sharing that info about author J. Sheridan Le Fanu. I actually came across the name and reference to the book Camilla when looking around the web for info on THE VELVET VAMPIRE, but even in having read it, I failed to make the connection to the character in the film having the same name!<br />And as a recent fan of Giallo, "The Blood Splattered Bride" is a recent acquisition. It's become a favorite of mine, as well.<br />Thank you very much for reading this post and contributing more info to the comment section here. Cheers!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66570239764087993072021-04-21T11:40:00.610-07:002021-04-21T11:40:00.610-07:00I had heard of this film for years before actually...I had heard of this film for years before actually watching it and I enjoyed in very much the same ways you did. As a long-time fan of that early ’70s “female vampire” craze, it ticked off many boxes for me—although of course it’s nowhere near something like Daughters of Darkness! Still, discovering these forgotten gems is a worthwhile endeavor. <br /><br />And a note: “...vampy vampire Diane Le Fanu (Celeste Yarnall) at a Los Angeles art gallery (The [Bram] Stoker Gallery...wink, wink)” Yes Stoker Gallery is a great if obvious allusion to Dracula’s creator, but so is Diane’s surname: J. Sheridan Le Fanu is the author who wrote Carmilla, a short novel about, yes, a lesbian vampire. It predates Dracula by more than 25 years! One of my favorite adaptations of it is The Blood-Spattered Bride from 1972. Will Erricksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16285306262078600804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-81632904966652618182018-10-30T11:11:14.390-07:002018-10-30T11:11:14.390-07:00Hello Huston!
Coming upon your comment here after ...Hello Huston!<br />Coming upon your comment here after just retreating from the horrors of my Twitter newsfeed proved just the tonic for my heavy spirit. Thank you so much! I am so pleased you have enjoyed some of my essays, thrilled even more that you took the time out to comment on this one.<br /><br />Yes, I think you might find much toenjoy about THE VELVET VAMPIRE, especially given that your awareness of camp was so well-honed at an early age (I remember thinking the show was super-cheap and bargain basement, but I wonder when "camp" became something I was actually aware of as an aesthetic?)<br />If you respond to this film, perhaps you will enjoy an vampire film experience akin to my late-in-life discovery of the Giallo genre: I simply devoured it. To use your phrase, a new world opened up for me and Italian Giallo thrillers are now a huge favorite of mine.<br />If you should ever check this film out, I'd love it if you'd stop back and share with us what you thought about it. And please, feel free to comment on any old posts you like. Comments on older posts go through a "moderator approval" first (for spam reasons) but I always respond. I learn a great deal when I read about how people respond to film, even more when seen in the context of their lives. And, indeed, aren't we in need of some distraction from what's going on these days?<br />Your contribution here is a welcome one. I hope it won't be the last. Nice to meet you, Huston!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-4654285042045448422018-10-30T10:08:53.567-07:002018-10-30T10:08:53.567-07:00Hi Ken,
Ah, Dark Shadows! I too was about 12 when ...Hi Ken,<br />Ah, Dark Shadows! I too was about 12 when I would race home from school to see my favorite vampires and werewolves. However, I guess I must have been on the cusp of some incipient awareness of "camp" because I recall being both horrified - and horrified at how awful the whole thing was. Your description of Grayson Hall's acting was absolutely priceless; I'd forgotten those long, quivering looks and your interpretation floored me and fits perfectly.<br />I've never seen any of the vampire movies you mention, but I do believe a whole new world may be opening up for me! I started off reading your review of The Velvet Vampire thinking that it really wasn't my tea cup, but finished with a resolution to find it if I could. I also have to ask my self if the prospect of some 70s male pulchitrude is worth putting up with a film that is, as you say, a bit "trying" and I have to answer....well, yes.<br />This is my first post on your site. I discovered you about 5 months ago and have become an avid fan, slowing going through your reviews. As so many people have commented before, I enjoy your unique combination of humor and incisiveness. You've made me look at old favorites in ways I had never thought of, and inspired me to seek out new...meat, as it were. Is it too late to comment on some of your older reviews? <br />Please continue to keep me distracted from all the horror that is going on around us! Would that our only problem was the undead...<br />HustonHustonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00435691404084725890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13244061566662928592018-10-11T22:42:25.608-07:002018-10-11T22:42:25.608-07:00Thank you for your compliments. I am pretty flummo...Thank you for your compliments. I am pretty flummoxed by them (especially coming from such a talented scribe as yourself), as putting these comments together is such a challenge for me, and I don't think I express myself very well in writing. But I'm glad to come off that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-41240920338248923672018-10-11T17:34:21.772-07:002018-10-11T17:34:21.772-07:00Hey Max
I am so flabbergasted to hear of Celeste Y...Hey Max<br />I am so flabbergasted to hear of Celeste Yarnall's death! I don't know when the Blu-ray came out, but listening to her talk about the film on the commentary track so recently made someone who's work I really didn't know, seem very much of the here and now. Bizarre that she would die just as I was putting the finishing touches on this (I'd read she died Oct. 7th at age 74). Although it seems she did a lot of TV I think this was her only leading role in a film. I know I saw her on a video at one of those celebrity conventions, and she was hawking some embarrassing Elvis is still alive DVD.<br /><br />Anyhow, very impressive that you actually saw this during its original double-bill run. I have no time-specific memory of it, but the title has come up over the years in cult movie circles.<br /><br />Given how awful she is in the film, it amuses me to think Sherry Miles was a bit of a problem. Rothman alludes to it being born of her insecurity and needing a lot of (apparently exhausting) reassurance. Yarnall hints that she was as whiny and obstinate as her onscreen character. But that bit about an on-set drama coach...Miles should sue.<br /><br />I actually own a copy of Biller's The Love Witch and I too thought there has to be some inspiration/influence from The Velvet Vampire and all those other color-saturated exploitation films of the time.<br />And you're right. It actually feels like you're watching a Drive-In movie from the '70s. The look is spot-on.<br /><br />I laughed at the mention of DAUGHTERS OF SATAN (and the idea of being "caught" watching it AGAIN). I've wondered about that movie and have come close to checking it out. I know it's usually up and running on YouTube. <br />Thanks for commenting, Max. As the only person thus far who has even seen the film, you provided the original release context (double bill) I don't really recall.<br />Always informative and interesting contributions from you. Much appreciated.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-31366337425405462972018-10-11T17:15:07.496-07:002018-10-11T17:15:07.496-07:00Ha! In a way, what you're saying is precisely ...Ha! In a way, what you're saying is precisely the problem with so many '70s exploitation films. Riding the crest of whatever fad was trending at the time (biker films, LSD exposes, beach party) they were all made so quickly to fill those drive-in double features, came a time they started to look so much alike, you couldn't tell some of them apart and weren't sure if you've seen it or not. <br />I find that to be true of a lot of those Hammer Gothics my sister was so enamored of. They all had Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and I was never sure which ones I's seen. And I certainly never remembered the plots.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77891974331537070982018-10-11T16:11:48.760-07:002018-10-11T16:11:48.760-07:00Hi Chris
It's so strange that the whole Dark S...Hi Chris<br />It's so strange that the whole Dark Shadows thing didn't grip me at all. I was really out of the loop at school. I only came to appreciate it (and then, for all the wrong reasons) much, much later when YouTube featured reams of blooper footage from the show. I absolutely adore how everybody kept it together in such melodramatic fashion while sets fell, props malfunctioned, and lines were forgotten left and right. Brilliance - especially Grayson Hall - who could hang onto an expression of distress for as long as it took for a line to come back to her.<br /><br />I'd all but forgotten about the Ben Cross iteration of Dark Shadows!<br /><br />As a genre, I think I like my vampires either really tortured and sad, or campy. The romantic ones don't do it. The Velvet Vampire has camp to spare. Plus, the main reason I was interested at all was the hope that Michael Blodgett would appear in less than he did in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. He does, and that's a major plus, but seriously, Sherry Miles' performance is my favorite thing. I have no idea where some of her line readings come from. She makes awfulness an art form.<br /><br />Thanks for reading and commenting, Chris! Always appreciate your input!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-35813835866827085402018-10-11T01:36:10.906-07:002018-10-11T01:36:10.906-07:00Hello, Sandra
Can't think of a nice "retu...Hello, Sandra<br />Can't think of a nice "return" than knowing someone actually missed you! I'm well, just took time off to work on a side writing project that unexpectedly gravitated toward center.<br />Speaking of writing, you have such an enviable way with words, am I in error in assuming you're a writer? You express yourself so well.<br /><br />I'm pleased you enjoy reading about some of these obscure movies. I like writing about them because by now regular visitors to the site know not to take my essays as recommendations, merely shedding some light on films that have slipped through the cracks. Often deservedly so.<br />I had to laugh when you noted how forgettable a title you found The Velvet Vampire to be. Seems the film had a hard time knowing what to call itself, starting out as "Through the Looking Glass" and then "Blood Lover" before settling on a title that sounds like a bar in Quentin Tarantino movie.<br />I find the movie visually interesting (use of color, etc.), but unless you watch it with friends and chuckle at its occasional ineptitude and stilted performances, you might find it a tad trying.<br />Good to hear from you, and thanks again for your kind comments!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-23548336848046265722018-10-10T18:31:37.624-07:002018-10-10T18:31:37.624-07:00Hi Ken,
I saw this only once, back in the 70s wit...Hi Ken,<br /><br />I saw this only once, back in the 70s with Scream of the Demon Lover. I don’t remember liking it (and don’t remember the co-feature at all) but for some reason I still remember so many individual scenes. Now I realize that may have had something to do with the cinematographer? I had no idea who it even was until you mentioned him. The dune buggy, the house, the colors, the Blodgett.<br /><br />And sadly, of all things, I just read today that Celeste Yarnall died. And Sherry Miles! Yikes! The only other feature I’ve seen her in is The Todd Killings. The “bubblehead” comes naturally I think. It kills me that she was “difficult” on the set. Was it beneath her??<br /><br />And I have to ask it you’ve seen Anne Biller’s The Love Witch from 2016? It captures the era of The Velvet Vampire and Beyond the VOD so well it’s not even satire. It actually becomes a drive-in movie from 1970—I’d say third on a triple bill. My boyfriend walked in when I was watching it he said, “Oh God, is this that Tom Selleck thing again?” I think he was referring to Daughters of Satan from 1972 which he caught me watching once. Anyway, The Love Witch is definitely an oddity well worth checking out.<br /><br />Thanks for another great memory!<br />Max<br />Max Frostnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-16889598765082493882018-10-10T10:25:16.657-07:002018-10-10T10:25:16.657-07:00Great writeup, Ken, but, damn, I can't figure ...Great writeup, Ken, but, damn, I can't figure out whether or not I've seen this! Of course I know the title and he stills look familiar, but I have no recollection of it. <br />MDG14450https://www.blogger.com/profile/01123092027299291617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-63604609239432398452018-10-09T16:21:47.133-07:002018-10-09T16:21:47.133-07:00Hi Ken...I agree with you that vampire films are n...Hi Ken...I agree with you that vampire films are not really scary despite the bright red blood and gore in those old Christopher Lee America International films...but I have always found them somewhat sexy as well. And I too was a Dark Shadows fan on weekday afternoons at 4 pm, but then when the 1990 revival was done, I fell in love with Ben Cross as Barnabas. I need to write about that one!<br /><br />I’m excited to see The Velvet Vampire, peopled as it is with lushly gorgeous actors in various stages of undress, including that hottie from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls! I look forward to seeing it!<br /><br />So delicious to read the latest Le Cinema Dream—a perfect delight!<br />- Chrisangelman66https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471674180789592940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-33529058751968823302018-10-08T23:51:15.232-07:002018-10-08T23:51:15.232-07:00Good to read your writing again, Ken. I have to ad...Good to read your writing again, Ken. I have to admit to having checked your page daily lately, in eager anticipation of a new post since it's been a while after Portnoy. Hope you are well. <br /><br />Vampires are far from my own interests, but the personal details you insert to set the stage never fail to make me chuckle. I never even realized how much the blood stained faces bothered me before you voiced it in your write up! Maybe this at least partly explains my aversion to toothy dramatics. (Kudos to Smedley by the way; my 14-year-old gothic-leaning self would've been very envious of his getup, and I salute him for showing up to school in a full cape and other regalia!)<br /><br />As much I like reading your takes on movies familiar to me, it's so enlightening to read your posts on movies I've never heard of! I thank you for providing this education on little seen and/or forgotten films. By being so female-driven, <i>The Velvet Vampire</i> (what a forgettable title that is, though) sure sounds like a worthwhile curiosity. Maybe I'll catch it on YouTube someday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com