Twins of Evil ***½ (1971, Madeleine Collinson, Mary Collinson, Peter Cushing, Dennis Price, Kathleen Byron, Damien Thomas) – Classic Movie Review 2,780

Hammer Films’ 1971 horror movie Twins of Evil is splendid Gothic vampire stuff, done with unusual zest and style. The Collinson twins (and Playboy playmates) Mary and Madeleine star as the title duo of identical orphaned sisters, Maria and Frieda.

Director John Hough’s 1971 horror movie Twins of Evil is splendid Gothic vampire stuff from the Hammer Films studios, done with unusual zest and style.

The real-life Collinson twins (and Playboy playmates) Mary and Madeleine star as the title duo of identical orphaned sisters, Maria and Frieda, who are sent with their God-fearing, witch-hunting uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing) in the shadow of Karnstein Castle. One twin is timid, the other brazen – and she soon falls under the spell of the castle’s young Count (Damien Thomas), Count Karnstein, who is a member of the undead.

They are inducted into a sinister vampire cult led by the queen of vampires. Uncle Gustav and his Puritan religious sect pals behead one of the evil nieces and set about burning the other. But a grisly fate awaits…

Tudor Gates’s intriguing screenplay, using characters created by J Sheridan Le Fanu, plays on the contrast between the repressed do-gooders and the sexy vampires. And Hough’s fervent direction helps make this one of the most effective of Hammer’s Seventies vampire films. Especially given its careful budget of £205,067, this is a surprisingly stylish, well-produced movie, with fine Eastmancolor cinematography by Dick Bush and imaginatively designed sets by Bert Luxford.

Dennis Price also stars as Dietrich, with Kathleen Byron as Katy Weil, Harvey Hall, David Warbeck, Isobel Black, Luan Peters, Kirsten Lindholm, Roy Stewart, Maggie Wright, Inigo Jackson, Judy Matheson, Alex Scott, Shelagh Wilcocks, Fred Wood and Katya Wyeth as Countess Mircalla.

Twins of Evil (1971) is the third film in Hammer Films’ Karnstein Trilogy of vampire films, based on the 1872 novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, though of the three it least resembles the novella, hedging its bets by adding a witch-finder theme to the vampire story. All three films are written by Tudor Gates, and are related by vampires of the noble Karnstein family, and their seat Castle Karnstein near the town of Karnstein in Styria, Austria. They are noted for their then daring lesbian stories.

The first film The Vampire Lovers (1970), set in 1794 Styria, stars Ingrid Pitt as lesbian vampire Countess Mircalla Karnstein.

The second film Lust for a Vampire (1971) features Yutte Stensgaard as Mircalla’s descendant Carmilla.

Harvey Hall and Kirsten Lindholm appear in all three films but in different roles

Twins of Evil is directed by John Hough, runs 87 minutes, is made by The Rank Organisation and Hammer Films, is released by Rank Film Distributors (1971) (UK) and Universal Pictures (1972) (US), is written by Tudor Gates, based on characters created by J Sheridan Le Fanu, is shot in Eastmancolor by Dick Bush, is produced by Harry Fine and Michael Style, is scored by Harry Robertson, and designed by Bert Luxford.

The film was released in the US a double bill with Hands of the Ripper (1971).

They use the same sets for Vampire Circus (1972).

The cast are Peter Cushing as Gustav Weil, Kathleen Byron as Katy Weil, Mary Collinson as Maria Gellhorn, Madeleine Collinson as Frieda Gellhorn, Damien Thomas as Count Karnstein, David Warbeck as Anton Hoffer, Dennis Price as Dietrich, Katya Wyeth as Countess Mircalla Karnstein, Roy Stewart as Joachim, Isobel Black as Ingrid Hoffer, Harvey Hall as Franz, Alex Scott as Hermann, Shelagh Wilcocks as lady in coach, Inigo Jackson as woodman, Judy Matheson as woodman’s daughter, Kirsten Lindholm as young girl at the stake, Luan Peters as Gerta, Peter Thompson as gaoler, Luan Peters, Maggie Wright, and Fred Wood.

Ingrid Pitt turned down re-creating her role of Countess Mircalla Karnstein, so Katya Wyeth took over.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2,780

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