The Vampire Lovers appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a more than watchable image.
For the most part, sharpness appeared fine. While the movie lacked terrific delineation, it usually seemed pretty accurate, and only a few moderately soft shots materialized.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no intrusive edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent, and grain felt natural.
Colors tended toward a bit of a blue bias, but more vivid tones emerged as well. These gave the hues a fair amount of pep and range.
Blacks were fairly deep and dense, while low-light shots boasted reasonable clarity. Some day for night shots inevitably became a little thick. Nothing here dazzled, but the result appeared pretty good for the movie’s vintage and budget.
The flick’s DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack also showed the restrictions related to the movie’s age, but it still worked fine. Speech usually seemed fairly natural, though the lines occasionally became a bit reedy.
Effects failed to present much life, but they lacked problematic distortion. While the music didn’t boast great vivacity, the score and songs still showed decent pep. This was an acceptable soundtrack for an old genre flick.
We find a whopping three audio commentaries here, and the first comes from film historians Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific look at the source novella and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and crew, sets and locations, genre domains and Hammer Studios in the era, censorship, and connected topics.
Overall, this becomes a pretty good discussion, as it gets into a nice array of topics. While not one of the most fascinating tracks I’ve heard, it offers enough useful content to merit a listen.
With the second commentary, we hear from director Roy Ward Baker, screenwriter Tudor Gates and actor Ingrid Pitt. Along with moderator Jonathan Sothcott, we get a running, screen-specific chat during which all four sit together.
I guess. At times, this comes across as two separate tracks edited into one: a session with Sothcott/Baker/Gates, and another with Sothcott/Pitt.
However, every once in a while, the interaction suggests that all three film principals participated in one chat. Enough odd moments occur to make me wonder, but I’ll default to the notion that this comes from one session, not two.
Whatever the case, the commentary covers aspects of the productions, the participants’ various memories/impressions, and thoughts about sequels and related domains. This becomes a decent overview and one that gains points due to the inclusion of the movie’s three principals, but I can’t claim it delivers a lot of great insights or observations.
Finally, we get a commentary from film historians Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby. Both sit together for their running, screen-specific view of the source novella and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and crew, sets and locations, genre domains and Hammer Studios in the era, censorship, and connected topics.
Observant readers will note that I indicate the Hearn/Rigby commentary covers the same territory as the Haberman/Nasr track. I just cut and pasted the overview for the Haberman/Nasr chat here because both touch on pretty much the same topics.
That doesn’t make the Hearn/Rigby piece redundant, though, as they manage to get into enough “different ground” to make it worthwhile. Actually, I think the Hearn/Rigby commentary fares better than its predecessor, mainly because they exhibit better chemistry and make this a more entertaining experience.
Another piece that runs alongside the film, The Rapture of Cruelty: Carmilla in Classic Cinema brings an “audio essay”. This lasts 52 minutes, 40 seconds and presents actor Madeline Smith as she offers a dramatic reading of an article written by Haberman.
A very dramatic reading, as Smith overacts relentlessly. The content seems good, as Haberman’s material covers the original text and its various adaptations over the years.
However, Smith’s presentation of the article feels horribly overdone and this becomes a distraction. I’d have preferred to see the text either in still frame form or as read by Haberman himself – or someone else less eager to act!
From here we head to a mix of video programs, and Carnal Crimson offers a 19-minute, five-second reel with film historian Kim Newman. He discusses Hammer, aspects of Lovers, genre topics and later flicks. Some of this repeats from the commentaries, but Newman brings a good discussion nonetheless.
Fangs for the Memories goes for 24 minutes, 31 seconds and delivers notes from Rigby as he traces the progress of the production, with an emphasis on the cast. After all the preceding discussion, some of this becomes redundant, but Rigby’s overview works well anyway.
Next comes To Love a Vampire, an “introduction” from Madeline Smith. This spans 15 minutes, 53 seconds and lets the actor discuss her experiences on the shoot and various memories.
What makes this an ‘introduction” and not simply an interview? I don’t know, but Smith offers an engaging discussion in any case.
More from Smith arrives in Vampire Lover, a 20-minute, 32-second piece. Here she talks about her career and Lovers. This expands on her remarks from “Love” and becomes another useful chat.
Trailers from Hell lasts two minutes, 34 seconds and provides the Lovers promo accompanied by commentary from filmmaker Mick Garris. We can’t watch the trailer in a workable manner, and we hear all Garris’s information elsewhere, so this becomes a superfluous addition to the disc.
After this, Feminine Fantastiquespans nine minutes, 56 seconds, as it offers material from Newman, Hammer collector Eric Hoffman, and historians Wayne Kinsen, David J. Skal, John-Paul Checkett and Ted Newsom.
“Feminine” examines the adaptation of the source, Hammer Studio’s expansion in the era, and some production elements. On its own, the featurette works fine, but we’ve already heard most of this information.
New Blood runs 26 minutes, 22 seconds and includes notes from Hearn, Rigby, BFI National Archive Fiction Curator Jo Botting, Professor of Film Studies IQ Hunter, author Denis Meikle, Professor of British Cinema Steve Chibnall,
“Blood” covers Hammer in the late 60s/early 70s as well as topics connected to the era’s British cinema. Again, given the tons of information already found on this disc, some of this repeats what we know, but it acts as a solid take on its specific subject matter.
Actor Ingrid Pitt brings us a Reading of Carmilla. It lasts 12 minutes, five seconds and indeed offers excerpts from the novella. This offers a good look at the source, and Pitt delivers the material in an appealing manner.
One Deleted Scene lasts one minute, 22 seconds. It shows an extension of an early sequence but doesn’t add much.
In addition to a trailer and two radio spots, the disc concludes with an Image Gallery.
It seems shocking that a movie about gorgeous female vampires could turn into a snoozer, but that happens with The Vampire Lovers. Devoid of thrills, suspense or much of anything compelling, this becomes a dull horror tale. The Blu-ray brings largely positive picture and audio along with a slew of bonus materials. While the movie doesn’t work for me, at least the Blu-ray delivers a strong package.
Note that the first issue of this Blu-ray inadvertently offered a slightly edited version of Lovers that leaves out a smidgen of nudity. If you get the cut edition, you can arrange for a replacement at this link: https://www.discshipment.com/request.
