Requiem for a Vampire
Requiem for a Vampire is arguably one of the best of Jean Rollin’s horror & sex epics. Most of those films were vampire movies that really brought the sexy vampire into vogue. Without Jean Rollin there is most likely no Daughters of Darkness, no Hunger, no Buffy, no Edward. Although Rollin’s film were never mainstream blockbusters, they affected the genre greatly and their influence can still be felt today.
From the opening shot of beautiful girls dressed as clowns shooting out the back of a car involved in a Bonnie and Clyde style car chase through the end every scene of this surreal masterpiece has all the logic of a fever dream and is just as captivating. There is only enough plot as is necessary for Rollin to stage his set pieces in which he gets the most from his two major assets; beautiful girls (Marie Pierre Castell & Mirelle D’Argent) and the fabulous locations in rural France. Images from the film stay with the viewer. The absurdity of the whole affair is heavily offset by the striking imagery of some scenes. There is a real artist at work in the midst of all the gratuitous nudity, sex, bloodletting and striking that imagery abound in Rollin’s work.
This new DVD from Salvation Films puts their previous release to shame, and there wan’t anything wrong with it. The new disc has a stunning 16:9 transfer that looks good for a new film much less a 38 year old French sex vampire film.
