Twins Of Evil (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Nudity is not gratuitous or excessive. They really committed to the story. Character dynamic was solid.

Synapse Films, as promised, has produced another in their stellar Blu-ray/DVD Combo sets of rare Hammer product as they had last year with "Vampire Circus." They had promised us presentations of "Twins of Evil," the final installment of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy, and soon to come now, "Hands of the Ripper" and also "Countess Dracula" (which may be a hard sell as it was rather recently, but now going out-of-print, of the Mid-nite Double Feature with "The Vampire Lovers" and may prevent buyers from getting the great bonus features and extremely beautiful Blu-rays of a Synapse version). I've noticed a new edition of the second of the Karnstein trilogy, "Lust for a Vampire" available in a rather pricey DVD presentation out now and have pulled the plug. I have always, after reading John Fowles's "The Collector" and seen how collecting can be seen as a preoccupation with death and "Lust for a Vampire" has always been trashed as a poor entry for Hammer and the additions to the trilogy beyond the first, "The Vampire Lovers" as being associated with Sheridan Le Fanu's classic "Carmilla" as barely palatable, and especially with "Twins of Evil" to be exploitative as "Carmilla" in its story is merely a plot device and the use of the "Karnstein" name. "Twins of Evil" also came about specifically because Hammer, growing used in the early seventies to using nudity and presenting insight of the dual relaxed morality of the Victorian era in their dwindling popularity in the times of the early seventies, decided to feature twin Playboy playmates, the Collinson twins, Mary and Madeleine, as the latest titillation in a vampire film. "Twins of Evil" is pretty good, with a duality in its plot combining the witch hunt violence popularized by AIP's "Witchfinder General" (AKA: "The Conqueror Worm") starring Vincent Price and vampire horror with, of course, the obvious duality of a good twin and a bad twin, but neither Collinson was much of a actress and there are many dual-conflicted scenes where it is a question of believability in a scene due to the quality of their acting. "Lust for a Vampire," apparently whose only plus is that it is a requisite as part of a trilogy is reportedly that bad. So, I refuse to buy it at this writing. The sins of collecting have bothered me before in the past and later I overrode my decisions, but by collecting Hammer films, one already has a predilection for a lot of bad cinema. And to decide to go with the trend appears not so menacing when one looks at film-making today and the truly terrible A-list film-making, and the pleasures of Hammer as classics become acceptable. Peter Cushing in the Vincent Price role of the witchfinder general is excellent. Tudor Gates has written an otherwise great screenplay. A lot of the questionable taste added to the production are owed to its producers, the showman team of Harry Fine and Michael Style. John Hough, new to Hammer, directed well. He later directed Disney's "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Watcher in the Woods." Also starring Dennis Price, Damien Thomas (then touted as a fledgling upcoming star of evil) and David Warbeck ("The Beyond") in a well-played earlier role as the love interest for the twins. Originally released by Universal on a double-bill with "Hands of the Ripper." Two "classics" in one. Who would have thought?P.S.: January is usually a slow month and I felt deprived of seeing the 2nd of the "Karnstein" trilogy, so I relented and bought "Lust for a Vampire." 1/13. Read my review.

If you are a fan of Hammer Horror this is a must watch.

The Hammer film from 1971 stars the Collinson twins, also known to many of us as Playboy Centerfold Misses Octobor from 1970, a couple of twins from Malta. The plot is simple. Peter Cushing is part of the Brotherhood, a group of puritans who think it their duty to burn sexy, young, innocent women - I mean witches - at the stake. The more people die from vampire attacks or go missing the more women they kill in fear - without any proof that those women are evil or even bad tempered. Of course this is a Hammer Film so all the women are lovely, that sexy-cute kind of look that would make men and women drool. Don't forget outfits that make you remember they are female.You start to wonder who the bad guys are as you can't really think of the Brotherhood as the Heroes. The funny thing is the Count, played by Damien Thomas, becomes a vampire after the movie has already started. Which brings up the point - who was killing people BEFORE he turned into one of the undead? By the way, this actor would also appear in Shogun, Blakes 7, and A.D. so keep an eye out for him! Oh, and be on the look out for Kathleen Byron - she was one of my favorite actresses in Black Narcissus. She plays the wife of Cushing's character.The story seems to focus more on Cushing's character, which does give it that realistic twist, a flawed man trying to be a good man. The twins do a very good job for their first film - and as far as I know their last. One is turned into a vampire and the other falls in love. In other words, the good twin and the bad twin. This IS kind of funny as in real life the two twins had different educations - one went to a commercial college and one went to a convent!Of course things sometimes get a tad silly, such as when the Count tries to switch the girls to save the one who is a vampire - his plan almost works.The settings are wonderful - Hammer films could always find a good castle - and the outfits are also delightful. The whole atmosphere is dark and thrilling and it seems that the Count, even as a vampire, can move around during the day. Thank you Hammer for getting that RIGHT!This Portuguese Edition is 83 minutes long, in color, and still in English so don't worry. Sadly, unlike most DVDs with Hammer films, there are no fun extras. I got this edition because I could not find one cheaper and only wanted THIS movie but now I believe there are more available so I would suggest shopping around for the edition you want. Sometimes the movie will be part of a bigger collection so it really depends on if you just want this film or are looking for a bunch of Hammer Horror films. Enjoy!