Horror Movie Review: Vampyros Lesbos (1971)

One of Jesús Franco most famous creations, Vampyros Lesbos is a fascinating film that begs to be overanalysed and seen as some piece of sensual high-brow cinema. When, in reality, it is a Franco special, albeit of a higher quality.

I’ve seen plenty of Jesús Franco’s films, sometimes when I didn’t even mean to, and I will concur with the majority that Vampyros Lesbos is one of his better films. It’s certainly one that nails the erotic side of things, especially from a vampiric perspective. However, calling it a horror film is stretching the limits of what horror is. It might be about vampires, but bloodsucking is at a minimum here.

Though that’s not to suggest there isn’t some sucking going on.

What? Too crude? Jesús Franco’s films, this one in particular, might be seen by some as art films, but let’s not kid ourselves, the ‘Lesbos’ part of the title is more important than the ‘Vampyros’ part. It never fails to make me laugh when Franco is put on a pedestal, and I almost always think of his 1975 prison flick, Women Behind Bars. Where he filmed a transition by having the camera disappear into the hairy vagina of a woman. Art, right?

Anyway, my point is that Vampyros Lesbos isn’t the smart and artistic film some might have you believe it is.

It is sexy though.

Ewa Strömberg stars as Linda Westinghouse who is having reoccurring erotic dreams about a woman (Soledad Miranda) who appears to be a vampire. The dreams always end with the mysterious woman feeding on her blood.

Sent to a remote island to deal with an inheritance as part of her job, Linda is shocked to see the woman she has been dreaming about, the Countess Nadine Carody. A vampire who wants to make Linda, hers.

That’s your plot, and anything else – subplot wise – is not worth talking about. It’s a Jesús Franco film, a good plot is rarer than male nudity. Vampyros Lesbos’ story is very flimsy and told in trivial fashion, utilising basic characters portrayed by stiff actors. So, what makes it enjoyable? The fact that it has a strong dreamlike sense and really does have a sensuality that lives up to the erotic aspects it promises.

There’s a mesmeric vibe to the film, aided by a soundtrack that is quite unique and attention grabbing. Before you know it, the film is almost over, and the realisation sinks in that Franco has managed to hypnotise you with it. That’s impressive, even if, once the spell breaks, reality reminds you that you can barely remember anything about it outside of the sex stuff.

It’s softcore porn, with touches of horror, and with a cool surreal edge, which is enough to make this one of the better films from Jesús Franco.