6.5
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Twins of Evil
DVD/APPROX. 87 MINS/1971/ENGLAND MA15+
DVD/APPROX. 87 MINS/1971/ENGLAND MA15+
At last a decent UK DVD release, on the Network label, for one of my personal favourite Hammer movies. The second of the studios productions to
based on the 'Carmilla' vampire novella (although the link is admittedly a little tenuous...), this early 70s shocker saw Hammer continue to push it's
horror boundaries in the light of less strenuous censorship rules and also in response to more the lurid pictures that were crawling out of the
Euro-trash production houses on the continent at the time. This lead to a ramping up of the blood and eroticism as well as more ambiguous and
disturbing characterisations creeping into the standard, rather quaint Hammer style of Gothic castles and high camp acting.
Twins of Evil sees yet another return for Brit-horror stalwart Peter Cushing, this time in a far more complex role then was usual for the studio. He
plays Gustav Weil, a repressed Puritan leader, who, together with his band of Christian brothers, plague the local woman who live in the forests by
burning them as witches for crimes such as living alone or knowing about herb lore.
In a tour de force performance that is a world away from the mad but essentially polite and decent Frankenstein archetype he helped to create or
the heroic Van Helsing, Cushing's Weil is a sadistic killer with god on his side. Although he is deep in his faith and very moral the film implies that
he also gets a kick out of abusing his pretty young victims and, rather outrageously for a Hammer movie of this vintage, the script suggests slight
paedophile tendencies!
Weil's nemesis is Count Karnstien, a flamboyant noble who longs to serve the devil and lives for earthly kicks. His libertine ways lead him to
re-incarnates his long dead ancestor (this is the brief Carmilla connection) who transforms him into a vampire. And what a vampire; he's like a
bloodsucking Errol Flynn and rocks a mean line in flouncy shirts and devil may care aplomb.
But it's when Weil's two orphaned nieces come to live with him the trouble really starts, Maria and Frieda cause a stir in the village with their fancy
Vienna fashions and city ways but it is Frieda who truly has a streak of evil running through her soul. She soon hooks up with Karnstien for a
vampire rampage that leads to lots of pale faced bodies drained of blood and a fresh round off nasty witch burnings as the sadistic holy order set
out to destroy the evil that is growing in their town...
A true vampire classic, Twins of Evil makes the most of every Hammer cliche from billowing dry ice fog and dimly lit castles to bodice wearing
wenches and torch bearing mobs on thundering horseback all set to a rousing silly score. Cushings character plays on his previous roles as the
moral centre in the middle of all the horror by making him both the vampire hunting hero and a death dealing fiend at the same time. Strong
support comes from Euro-sleaze actor Dennis Price, star of Vampyros Lesbos and Kathleen Byron as Cushings long suffering wife.
The combination of witching hunting themes with classic vampire motifs makes for an interesting mix of styles that works very well indeed. It's also
got one of those great vampire death sequences where they use cheesy dissolves to show the fallen vampire lord rotting away before our very
eyes. I don't think that's a spoiler because lets face facts, the vamp always gets it so that the audience could finish their popcorn and go home to
bed without any nightmares. Look out for a choice beheading as well!
Networks release isn't packed with extras but the picture quality is fine and the sound is decent, with the rousing music sounding excellent,
particularly when the Brotherhood are on the gallop to their next torturous appointment with a so-called witch. A truly awful deleted scene
featuring a pretty ropey song will cause smirks and relief that it didn't make the final cut; The DVD also comes with a good booklet of film notes
that backs up the movie nicely.
Twins of Evil is a vital release for Hammer heads.
based on the 'Carmilla' vampire novella (although the link is admittedly a little tenuous...), this early 70s shocker saw Hammer continue to push it's
horror boundaries in the light of less strenuous censorship rules and also in response to more the lurid pictures that were crawling out of the
Euro-trash production houses on the continent at the time. This lead to a ramping up of the blood and eroticism as well as more ambiguous and
disturbing characterisations creeping into the standard, rather quaint Hammer style of Gothic castles and high camp acting.
Twins of Evil sees yet another return for Brit-horror stalwart Peter Cushing, this time in a far more complex role then was usual for the studio. He
plays Gustav Weil, a repressed Puritan leader, who, together with his band of Christian brothers, plague the local woman who live in the forests by
burning them as witches for crimes such as living alone or knowing about herb lore.
In a tour de force performance that is a world away from the mad but essentially polite and decent Frankenstein archetype he helped to create or
the heroic Van Helsing, Cushing's Weil is a sadistic killer with god on his side. Although he is deep in his faith and very moral the film implies that
he also gets a kick out of abusing his pretty young victims and, rather outrageously for a Hammer movie of this vintage, the script suggests slight
paedophile tendencies!
Weil's nemesis is Count Karnstien, a flamboyant noble who longs to serve the devil and lives for earthly kicks. His libertine ways lead him to
re-incarnates his long dead ancestor (this is the brief Carmilla connection) who transforms him into a vampire. And what a vampire; he's like a
bloodsucking Errol Flynn and rocks a mean line in flouncy shirts and devil may care aplomb.
But it's when Weil's two orphaned nieces come to live with him the trouble really starts, Maria and Frieda cause a stir in the village with their fancy
Vienna fashions and city ways but it is Frieda who truly has a streak of evil running through her soul. She soon hooks up with Karnstien for a
vampire rampage that leads to lots of pale faced bodies drained of blood and a fresh round off nasty witch burnings as the sadistic holy order set
out to destroy the evil that is growing in their town...
A true vampire classic, Twins of Evil makes the most of every Hammer cliche from billowing dry ice fog and dimly lit castles to bodice wearing
wenches and torch bearing mobs on thundering horseback all set to a rousing silly score. Cushings character plays on his previous roles as the
moral centre in the middle of all the horror by making him both the vampire hunting hero and a death dealing fiend at the same time. Strong
support comes from Euro-sleaze actor Dennis Price, star of Vampyros Lesbos and Kathleen Byron as Cushings long suffering wife.
The combination of witching hunting themes with classic vampire motifs makes for an interesting mix of styles that works very well indeed. It's also
got one of those great vampire death sequences where they use cheesy dissolves to show the fallen vampire lord rotting away before our very
eyes. I don't think that's a spoiler because lets face facts, the vamp always gets it so that the audience could finish their popcorn and go home to
bed without any nightmares. Look out for a choice beheading as well!
Networks release isn't packed with extras but the picture quality is fine and the sound is decent, with the rousing music sounding excellent,
particularly when the Brotherhood are on the gallop to their next torturous appointment with a so-called witch. A truly awful deleted scene
featuring a pretty ropey song will cause smirks and relief that it didn't make the final cut; The DVD also comes with a good booklet of film notes
that backs up the movie nicely.
Twins of Evil is a vital release for Hammer heads.
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