I’m a sucker for Hammer Films. My first exposure to Dracula
was not Bela Lugosi but Christopher Lee in HORROR OF DRACULA. When I’d learn a
movie was made by Hammer I’d make a point of trying to get a chance to see it.
There are still plenty that for one reason or another I never had access to but
thankfully the easy access to their arrival on disc has helped with that
problem. Such is the case with TWINS OF EVIL.
I’d heard of the movie less about the horror aspects of it
than the appearance of twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson. They’d created a
stir when they appeared in Playboy together and their being stars in a movie
like this, including a nude scene or two, was enough to get the attention of
the press. It also meant that at age 14 the odds of me seeing the movie when
released dropped considerably. I was able to pick up a copy at the Synapse
table at Cinema Wasteland (October 2018) and finally had the chance to see the
film though. Was it worth the wait?
The movie features the two young women as Marie and Freida
Gellhorn, recently orphaned and on their way to live with their aunt Katy
(Kathleen Byron) and uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing). What they don’t know
coming in is that Gustav is the leader of a strict group of puritans known as
the Brotherhood whose main goal is to eliminate anyone they think of as a witch
by burning them at the stake. Their first meeting with their uncle doesn’t go
well as he finds their mode of dress to flamboyant.
Atop a hill nearby is the castle of Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas).
Karnstein is the epitome of evil, a man willing to sell his soul to the devil
for power and new forms of depraved entertainment to satiate his needs. When
local servant Dietrich (Dennis Price) doesn’t provide him with new women to
abuse and murder, he actually sells his soul and becomes a vampire. Attracted
to the new girls in town he sets his sights on Frieda.
Frieda is an easy mark, rebellious due to her uncle’s
methods and looking for excitement. She becomes easy prey for Karnstein and is
soon under his spell. Her sister continues to worry about her and takes
punishment from their uncle for covering for her sister. When Frieda becomes a
vampire as well the wheels are set in motion for evil to be unleashed, for the
pious leader to realize the pain he’s inflicted on so many others and for a
hero in the form of Anton (David Warbeck), the local teacher in love with
Marie, to come to the rescue.
By the time this film was released in 1971 Hammer had begun
to show some changes in their films. At one time considered the premiere
company in all things horror they’d begun to become stale and competition in
the form of Amicus and others had begun to move into their top selling
category. In an effort to stave off the competition Hammer began to include more
skin in their movies than they’d done previously. It began with incredibly low
cut tops for the time and eventually went to full-fledged nudity. The trick
worked and Hammer soon was drawing an audience once again.
The inclusion of the two models in this film was a
publicists dream come true. Not only could they tout the appearance of a
beautiful woman willing to bare all but they had two women who were identical
willing to do so. The promotion of the film dwelt more on that than it did the
story, the third film from the studio to focus on the Karnstein family. It
worked and the movie performed well.
But is it any good? I would say that it’s one of their
better period horror pieces and not due to the nudity included. Like their film
WITCHFINDER GENERAL they’ve brought back the inclusion of religious zealots
whose methods create as much evil as they do destroy it. It’s not an indictment
of the group that is the focus but of their methods. It doesn’t celebrate the
evil that is Karnstein it shows his depravity in minor fashion and the fact
that the evil some think is there actually does exist.
The sets and costuming of the film are worth noting and it’s
sad that a movie like this, due to the fact that it was a horror film, was
probably completely overlooked come Oscar time. Both deserve substantial credit
and should have been recognized.
The acting here stands out as well. Both Collinson twins do
a solid job here in what was their first starring roles. The combination of
innocence and the ability to be lured by something different is an interesting
combination to watch in the pair. Thomas is evil personified in an aristocratic
sort of way, uninterested in the effect his interests have on the locals. And
Cushing once more proves why he deserved more credit than he ever received when
alive. His portrayal of Weill here shows his talents as both the tormentor and
the tormented.
Synapse has done an amazing job with the film. The crispness
and clarity of picture is wonderful. Their release of the film contains both
the DVD and blu-ray editions. The extras here are amazing. Included are THE
PROPS THAT HAMMER BUILT: THE KINSEY COLLECTION featurette, a motion stills
gallery, deleted scenes, an isolated music track, the theatrical trailer, TV
spots and most importantly THE FLESH AND THE FURY: X-POSING TWINS OF EVIL,
feature length documentary on the studio and its infamous Karnstein trilogy of
films. With that extra alone you end up with two movies for the price of one.
Kudos to Synapse for their release of the film. If you love horror, love Hammer
and want to own the best edition of this film available then by all means make
a point of picking this one up.
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