I've just seen this film yesterday and jamesraeburn2003's opinion reflected much of my impressions. However I would like to add few of my comments.
First off, despite the silliness of Strange Love song, I found it to be creepy and was really right in the mood for the making love sequence. Don't get me wrong, they don't need to insert a song in there but I never felt that it harmed the film in any way.
Next, Suzanna Leigh as Janet Playfair was great in her role. Her brash personality really steal the show (especially in the headmistress scene) whenever Steensgard is not around.
Steensgard on the other hand did not "suck" as many people believed and even if her voice was dubbed (she was Danish in origin), she didn't have much line to say other than "I can't", "I love you" and those sort of sentences. It was her non-verbal performances that became the highlight. The scenes where she walks, moves, and stares took a great effort that made her memorable, second only to Christopher Lee.
The only objection I have is the finale during the castle fire where Mircalla tried to prevent Lestrange from saving her. As she did so, Karnstein mentally influenced her to attack Lestrange. Lestrange threw her away and as she tried to attack again, she's killed by the falling block. That was my complaint because she died not as a woman who loved Lestrange (which she really did) but as a monster who wanted to kill him (outside her own will). I sympathized with her a lot and in her final scenes, they should have shown Mircalla crying to Jonathan as a last goodbye, confirming her love to him.
My only other wish was to see more of Yutte Steensgard in other Hammer films but she quit soon after and moved to America because she was felt "unappreciated" by the industry. I do hope she made a good living whatever she's doing now.
Okay that's it for my comment. This comes from a sentimental man who loved watching horror movies and tries to find a meaning behind every film. And Lust for a Vampire would make a great film to me provided that they extended the ending.
First off, despite the silliness of Strange Love song, I found it to be creepy and was really right in the mood for the making love sequence. Don't get me wrong, they don't need to insert a song in there but I never felt that it harmed the film in any way.
Next, Suzanna Leigh as Janet Playfair was great in her role. Her brash personality really steal the show (especially in the headmistress scene) whenever Steensgard is not around.
Steensgard on the other hand did not "suck" as many people believed and even if her voice was dubbed (she was Danish in origin), she didn't have much line to say other than "I can't", "I love you" and those sort of sentences. It was her non-verbal performances that became the highlight. The scenes where she walks, moves, and stares took a great effort that made her memorable, second only to Christopher Lee.
The only objection I have is the finale during the castle fire where Mircalla tried to prevent Lestrange from saving her. As she did so, Karnstein mentally influenced her to attack Lestrange. Lestrange threw her away and as she tried to attack again, she's killed by the falling block. That was my complaint because she died not as a woman who loved Lestrange (which she really did) but as a monster who wanted to kill him (outside her own will). I sympathized with her a lot and in her final scenes, they should have shown Mircalla crying to Jonathan as a last goodbye, confirming her love to him.
My only other wish was to see more of Yutte Steensgard in other Hammer films but she quit soon after and moved to America because she was felt "unappreciated" by the industry. I do hope she made a good living whatever she's doing now.
Okay that's it for my comment. This comes from a sentimental man who loved watching horror movies and tries to find a meaning behind every film. And Lust for a Vampire would make a great film to me provided that they extended the ending.