One of the films included in the magnificent THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION box set from Severin is CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE, a 1963 film that has gone under many titles. The main title on the version presented in this Blu-ray set is LA CRIPTA E L'INCUBO. I had a Retromedia DVD of this movie that was entitled TERROR IN THE CRYPT, and among other things it is also known as CRYPT OF HORROR.
The story, set sometime in the early 19th Century and co-written by Eurocult legends Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii, is a very loose adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's CARMILLA. Christopher Lee plays Count Ludwig Karnstein, who hires a scholar (Jose Campos) to come to his remote castle and delve into the history of the Karnsteins. The Count is worried that his lovely young daughter Laura (Adriana Ambesi) is somehow possessed by a Karnstein ancestor who was accused of being a witch. Laura is starting to have visions of other Karnsteins being murdered--is she the killer? Or is she being controlled by the sinister-looking housekeeper (Nela Conjiu)? And what about the strange relationship between Laura and the unexpected (and beautiful) female guest at the castle named Lyuba (Pier Anna Quaglia)?
As mentioned, CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE is not a straight adaptation of CARMILLA--there isn't even a character of that name in the movie. If one has read Le Fanu's novel, or at least seen THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, it's easy to figure out who the main menace here is. There is also isn't much vampiric activity going on--the evil Karnstein ancestor is more of a spectral threat.
CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE is, though, a great example of Italian Gothic horror. The movie was mostly filmed at a Castello Piccolomini in Italy, and director Camillo Mastrocinque and DOPs Julio Ortas and Giuseppe Aquari use this location to the fullest, giving the story a rich and effective look. The film was shot in black & white (I don't think it would have worked as well if it had been in color).
There's no nudity or gore here--the emphasis is on atmosphere and mood. As expected, there's plenty of screen time given to nightgown-clad nubile young women wandering around in the middle of the night. There's a hint that Laura and Lyuba desire one another, but it's not taken to the extremes of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS. A flashback dealing with the fate of the wicked Karnstein ancestor is very reminiscent of the opening sequence of Bava's BLACK SUNDAY.
Having Christopher Lee in a movie with the word "vampire" in the title certainly gets attention, but the actor happens to play one of the most normal roles of his career (if you consider a 19th Century European nobleman from a notorious family to be normal). Lee is very handsome here, due mainly to a distinguished hairpiece. His character also gets to have an affair with a servant (Vera Valmont) who looks as young as his daughter. (Valmont also gets plenty of nightgown time as well.) Lee's own voice is also used on the English dub track, which is a major plus.
Sadly, out of all the films included in Severin's Christopher Lee set, CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE has the least amount of extras. On the disc itself, there's only a trailer. Included on the RELICS FROM THE CRYPT extras disc in the Lee set (which is inside the case for CHALLENGE THE DEVIL) is a 34-minute interview with co-writers Ernesto Gastaldi and Tonino Valerii called THE CRYPT KEEPERS, in which they discuss CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE. The two men go into how it took them only about a day to write the complete script (maybe that's the reason why there's so many familiar elements in it). The duo discuss the director, and how Italian genre films were produced and sold at the time. Valerii was also an AD on CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE, and he gives insight into the making of the film. (Valerii also mentions that he was highly impressed with Christopher Lee.) It's too bad this Blu-ray of CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE did not get an audio commentary.
The back of the disc case for CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE says that Severin used a 2K scan from a fine-grain 35mm master print for this Blu-ray. The film (presented in 1.84:1 widescreen) looks marvelous--the black & white photography appears quite sharp. The English and Italian voice tracks are included, with subtitles. This is a Region A Blu-ray.
CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE is not a knock you over the head type of horror film. It's a bit slow moving at times, but it has a dreamlike quality to it, and the atmospheric locations (and attractive cast) provide plenty of Gothic eye candy. I believe it's one of the better European productions Christopher Lee appeared in during the 1960s.
After reading your excellent review, I decided to give this film another watch, because I've always had mixed feelings about it. I have to say it gets better with each viewing. They did a wonderful job of remastering. And it's a real pleasure to see Christopher Lee surrounded by all that Gothic atmosphere. About Lyuba: She's portrayed as a kind of Stepford Wife type with a blank face, as opposed to Laura, who emotes all over the place. When Count Karnstein opens the coffin to reveal the vampire, or whatever she is, Lyuba's face is contorted in an evil grimace. Then we see Lyuba leading Laura to her doom, and Lyuba looks at Laura with that same evil grimace and says: "Afraid?" That is a chilling moment, one that stayed with me after seeing the movie on television way back in my lost youth. The "slow burn" factor in this movie works very well, and makes the climax quite effective. This movie would make an interesting double feature with Roger Vadim's Blood And Roses, another adaptation of Carmilla.
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