In the early 1970s, the Roger Corman factory decided to cash in on the success of Hammer's vampire films with softcore erotic elements. Stephanie Rothman, the rare woman among the era's exploitation filmmakers, co-wrote and directed this frequently interesting but tonally incoherent flick about a young couple invited to stay with a mysterious woman, Diane LeFanu (Celeste Yarnall), who is.... gosh, see if you can guess:
(a) a vampire
(b) bisexual
(c) all of the above
(d) it's (c), right? Is it (c)? I bet it's (c)!
Our young protagonist meet this mysterious, bisexual vampire at a trendy art gallery, the Stoker. She invites them to stay at her place in the desert, where events take unsettling turns. Like other exploitation flicks and virtually everything produced by Corman, this one works with a limited budget. The director, fortunately, knew how to stretch what she had.
The Velvet Vampire creates a creepy ambiance, with its unconventional sunny locale and surreal dream sequences, which make the film a weird blend of grindhouse and arthouse. Rothman used guerilla tactics for the finale, filming on unsecured locations, placing her actors among an unsuspecting public. While that conclusion may contain some weak and awkward elements, it packs a theatrical punch.
Most of the acting is redolent of 70s exploitation cinema. Celeste Yarnall raises the tone quite a bit; she gives a fascinating performance as the titular vampire. The actress and script create their own distinctive variation on the bloodsucking breed, recognizable but not merely imitative of what has come before. Only in the finale does Diane start exhibiting conventional vampiric limitations. Sherry E. DeBoer (later Sherry Miles), by contrast, was clearly cast for her looks and willingness to do softcore scenes rather than her acting ability. She's not a bad actress, but she lacks the ability to carry dramatically what becomes the central role.
Despite its flaws, this film exerts a strange fascination, in no small part because of Rothman's unusual approach to the story and Celeste Yarnall's unique depiction of a vampire. It remains worth seeing if:
(a) You're a pre-Anne-Rice-era vampire completist
(b) You're a fan of early 1970s exploitation films
(c) You absolutely have to see any movie where a vampire asks someone if he knows how to drive a dune buggy.
Director: Stephanie Rothman
Writers: Maurice Jules, Charles S. Swartz, Stephanie Rothman
Celeste Yarnall as Diane LeFanu
Sherry E. DeBoer (Sherry Miles) as Susan Ritter
Michael Blodgett as Lee Ritter
Gene Shane as Carl Stoker
Jerry Daniels as Juan
Sandy Ward as Amos
Paul Prokop as Cliff
Chris Woodley as Cliff's Girl
Robert Tessier as Biker
Johnny Shines as Blues performer
Bonus Seventies Movie Check-list!
• Overwrought or cheesy score: Yes, but it's sometimes effective.
• Hero with 70s hair and porn 'stache: Lee is clean-shaven, but he's otherwise pretty close to the mark.
•
Feisty Heroine: Yes
•
Liberated sexuality: Yes
• "Jiggle": Yes
•
Short shorts: Yes. Hell, Sherry E. DeBoer spends much of the movie in her bikini bottoms
•
Tight pants: Yes
•
Dude with baaad outfit: No
•
Precocious kids: No
•
Viet Nam Vet: No or, at least, not so identified.
•
Zany hippiesque outsider: He's not particularly "zany."
•
Fat sheriff: No
• Politically incorrect humour: Yes
•
Car chases: No
• Cool motorcycle: Yes
•
Custom Van: No,but check out that dune buggy!
•
Inexplicably exploding vehicle: No
•
Paranormal/occult gooblygook: Yes
•
Official corruption: Not really, though it seems clear some people know more about Diane than they let on. Her wealth protects her.
• Drug references/Trippiness: Yes.
•
Gratuitous Social Issues: Sort of. Touches on bi- and
polysexuality
• Someone getting called "
turkey": No
• Ambiguous Ending: Yes.
Everything Is Going to Be Fine: The 2022 Halloween Horrorquest