Review by Peter Syslo
REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE (1971 France ) is a recent DVD release from Salvation/Redemption (www.salvation-films.com). The DVD features stereo sound, anamorphic 16x9 widescreen presentation, and English subtitles. Also featured on the DVD are extras which include: an interview with Louise Dhour; extra scenes; trailers; stills gallery; and Redemption trailers. I just want to mention that, for a film from 1971, the video and audio quality on this DVD is superb. I know that I always say that about Salvation/Redemption DVDs, but it deserves mention every time. The discs always have great technical quality and REQUEIM FOR A VAMPIRE is one of the best examples that I have seen. Sadly though, the film itself left me feeling a little disappointed. I did enjoy the picture, in general, but this turned out to be one of my least favorite films from director Jean Rollin.
REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE is directed by the legendary Jean Rollin. The film stars Marie Pierre Castel, Mireille D'Argent, Philippe Gaste, Dominique, Louise Dhour, Michel Delesalle, Antoine Mosin, Olivier Francois, Dominique Toussaint, and Paul Bisciglia.
The film begins with two teenage girls and a guy, who are all “on the run”. It turns out that they committed a crime and after a high speed gun-chase, the guy becomes seriously injured. The two girls set fire to the getaway car (and the guy’s nearly-dead body) and they set out for a chateau that their dying friend told them about. The girls make the journey interesting by stealing a motorcycle, hustling some food, and hiding out in a cemetery. However, after reaching the chateau - and getting naked - they soon realize that they are not alone. The girls hear some strange sounds coming from nearby catacombs and they soon come face to face with a female vampire and her rapist henchmen. After being manhandled and really confused by the situation, the two girls learn that an elder vampire lives in the catacombs and their (surprising) virginity is necessary for certain vampire requirements. Thus, the girls are caught between helping the vampires who hold them captive and saving any human prey that may come near.
I don't know what it was about the film; it just didn't “grab me” as much as Rollin's other, later films. It is the typical Rollin style - a lot of nudity-for-nudity's sake, a sense of the taboo, and the strong supernatural element. However, the other aspects of the film didn't seem all that interesting. Yeah, I'll be honest; the exploitative elements are one of the main reasons for my enjoyment of Rollin's films. For instance, one of the best scenes in this film was when two of the oversexed henchmen had their way with two captive females, in a dungeon (the women are in chains). Rollin dove into the bondage realm with this scene and I have to admit that the sex looked pretty realistic. They didn't show penetration, mind you, but it was a scene taken right out of a “blue” movie. Also, it is a celebration of the 1970s, natural woman and I always find that enjoyable (seriously, my friends, breast implants have become a little boring – I'll take the natural ones any day). Getting back to my point, scenes like that one “made” the film and I felt that the rest of the film and the basic storyline didn't live up to the “spice” of that instance of exploitation. I liked the basic vampire story and the few humorous scenes of lustful pursuit (that seemed like they came right from “The Benny Hill Show”), but the overall film didn't maintain that engaging and shocking “essence”.
Regarding some of the non-content factors, the film looked beautiful - as Rollin's work always does. The sets which he chooses or creates always convey the perfect atmosphere for each respective film; the chateau and the catacombs beneath looked great and helped REQUIEM. Also worth noting, (as the DVD synopsis states), the film really does have very little dialogue in it. I think that that may have thrown me a little, too. I mean, it didn't really need dialogue to tell the tale – the scenes do that pretty well – but maybe a little more dialogue may have helped keep a better pace in some of the more drawn-out scenes. For example, let’s take the cemetery scene; it seemed a bit out of place and just seemed to function as a means to put the two pretty girls in a slightly perilous situation. Not that I'm against that - the one girl almost being buried alive by cemetery groundskeepers was intriguing. It's just that some dialogue would have been good to explain some things, provide a sense of rhythm, and I think that it would have heightened the intimacy/eroticism between the two girls (that was only fully reached in one scene).
Gnawing through the flesh: REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE wasn't bad, but I expected a little more. I like a lot of Rollin's work but this one didn't hit me as strongly as some of his other films. Maybe that is the problem too, I have seen a lot of his later films, where he has done a lot of the things that he did in REQUEIM. You know, it's like seeing GOODFELLAS and then going back and watching THE GODFATHER. GOODFELLAS did everything that THE GODFATHER did and it did it better (I feel). Maybe that is the case with Rollin and REQUEIM. Aside from that, the acting was appropriate for the film, with the elder vampire giving the best performance. Also, some of the effects were a little “off” and didn't look all that realistic (like the vampire fangs and the human hands strewn around the catacombs), but I know that it wasn't a film about the effects. It’s about pretty women encountering dangerous situations and surrendering to various desires. Take it as that and enjoy it… especially the dungeon scene. I give REQUEIM FOR A VAMPIRE a 5/10.