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Twins Of Evil
John Hough (director)
Network on Air (studio)
Cert 18 (certificate)
87min (length)
22 September 2014 (released)
17 October 2014
Twins Of Evil is not only the third instalment of Hammer’s ‘Karnstein Trilogy’, based on Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic tale Carmilla, but easily the best. After the move to Elstree Studios, the new look Hammer films offered bolder and sexually more explicit fare than the rather tame but enchanting gothic fairy-tales of the Brae years.
Starring real-life identical twins and former Playboy playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson in the title role. The story – set in early 19th century central Europe – revolves around puritanical and god-fearing zealot Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing), leader of the witch-hunting Brotherhood, a bunch of misguided, misogynistic and black-clad loonies who have nothing better to do with their time than chasing innocent damsels around dense forests and burning them as witches.
At the other end of the spectrum we have the depraved and admittedly dashing looking Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who seemingly has nothing better to do with his time than dabble in Black Magic and indulge in sexual frolics. Bored with the satanic charades that his long-suffering seedy procurer Dietrich (a wasted looking Dennis Price) presents him with, Karnstein decides to take matters in his own hands (literally) by sacrificing a poor village wench to Satan himself. Low and behold, the devil appears a short time later in the shape of the resurrected Countess Mircalla Karnstein – his long dead ancestor – who, after a bit of ‘showaddywaddy’ introduces him to the pleasures of vampirism! And this is just what our bored Count needed!
Meanwhile, the ‘gorgeous’ and recently orphaned twins have arrived in the nearby village to stay with their uncle Gustav and his loving wife Katy (Kathleen Byron). Uncle Gustav is not exactly over-pleased with the girls’ colourful and fashionable dress apparel: “What kind of plumage is this? Birds of paradise! Do you know the fourth commandment?”). Of course the twins don’t, and even if they would they couldn’t care less! Well, one of the twins, Maria, is such a good girl and lives in fear of uncle Gustav. Frieda, on the other hand, has a different opinion and outlook and soon finds herself in cohorts with the Count – and now we have two vampires roaming the territory and sucking the blood of the community.
As a counterbalance to the count, and to Frieda, we have kindly teacher and choirmaster Anton Hoffer (David Warbeck) to whom Maria takes a shine. But just like in real life, the good is attracted to the bad, and Anton is (initially) smitten by the more mysterious and forward Frieda – bad move!
As things begin to get out of control, and more pyres are lit, the film heads towards its dynamic climax in which everyone gets their just deserts!
The memorably strident score by Harry Robertson and the fastly-paced script by Tudor Gates contribute to making this one of the better of Hammer’s 1970’s offerings. Peter Cushing’s performance is harrowing and poignant, this may have had something to do with the recent death of his beloved wife from which he had not quite recovered at the time of filming. Particularly in the pre-credit sequence the strain is only too evident on Cushing’s face.
As for the Maltese Collinson twins, who were obviously dubbed, it was to be their last film and they retired from the biz after that. Unfortunately for Damien Thomas, who looked as though he could have been Hammer’s new leading man of the macabre, things didn’t turn out that way as the studio’s days were almost all but done.
This Blu-ray edition of Twins Of Evil offers the following Special Features, sadly, an interview with Damien Thomas is not included. The same goes for director John Hough, who in fact did a pretty decent job on this film.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Original Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
Deleted Scene
Extensive Image Galleries
PDF Material
Commemorative Booklet
Starring real-life identical twins and former Playboy playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson in the title role. The story – set in early 19th century central Europe – revolves around puritanical and god-fearing zealot Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing), leader of the witch-hunting Brotherhood, a bunch of misguided, misogynistic and black-clad loonies who have nothing better to do with their time than chasing innocent damsels around dense forests and burning them as witches.
At the other end of the spectrum we have the depraved and admittedly dashing looking Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who seemingly has nothing better to do with his time than dabble in Black Magic and indulge in sexual frolics. Bored with the satanic charades that his long-suffering seedy procurer Dietrich (a wasted looking Dennis Price) presents him with, Karnstein decides to take matters in his own hands (literally) by sacrificing a poor village wench to Satan himself. Low and behold, the devil appears a short time later in the shape of the resurrected Countess Mircalla Karnstein – his long dead ancestor – who, after a bit of ‘showaddywaddy’ introduces him to the pleasures of vampirism! And this is just what our bored Count needed!
Meanwhile, the ‘gorgeous’ and recently orphaned twins have arrived in the nearby village to stay with their uncle Gustav and his loving wife Katy (Kathleen Byron). Uncle Gustav is not exactly over-pleased with the girls’ colourful and fashionable dress apparel: “What kind of plumage is this? Birds of paradise! Do you know the fourth commandment?”). Of course the twins don’t, and even if they would they couldn’t care less! Well, one of the twins, Maria, is such a good girl and lives in fear of uncle Gustav. Frieda, on the other hand, has a different opinion and outlook and soon finds herself in cohorts with the Count – and now we have two vampires roaming the territory and sucking the blood of the community.
As a counterbalance to the count, and to Frieda, we have kindly teacher and choirmaster Anton Hoffer (David Warbeck) to whom Maria takes a shine. But just like in real life, the good is attracted to the bad, and Anton is (initially) smitten by the more mysterious and forward Frieda – bad move!
As things begin to get out of control, and more pyres are lit, the film heads towards its dynamic climax in which everyone gets their just deserts!
The memorably strident score by Harry Robertson and the fastly-paced script by Tudor Gates contribute to making this one of the better of Hammer’s 1970’s offerings. Peter Cushing’s performance is harrowing and poignant, this may have had something to do with the recent death of his beloved wife from which he had not quite recovered at the time of filming. Particularly in the pre-credit sequence the strain is only too evident on Cushing’s face.
As for the Maltese Collinson twins, who were obviously dubbed, it was to be their last film and they retired from the biz after that. Unfortunately for Damien Thomas, who looked as though he could have been Hammer’s new leading man of the macabre, things didn’t turn out that way as the studio’s days were almost all but done.
This Blu-ray edition of Twins Of Evil offers the following Special Features, sadly, an interview with Damien Thomas is not included. The same goes for director John Hough, who in fact did a pretty decent job on this film.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Original Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
Deleted Scene
Extensive Image Galleries
PDF Material
Commemorative Booklet
