Some very beautiful (sometimes even naked) blood thirsty vampire ladies, the main setting a fine old Château, a gang of robbers, some blood spilled, and last but not least, Jean Rollin's fine cinematic style, voilà we get another delicious entry to oeuvre of a true master of fantasy and planet Venus. Fascination: for the fan base, without doubt eye-candy deluxe and always worth the trip.

This is the seventh Rollin film I've watched, after THE IRON ROSE (1973; still his finest work), THE DEMONIACS (1974; the least among his vintage efforts), LIPS OF BLOOD (1975; another good one), THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978; not bad), THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (1982; one of his most compelling) and Fiancée' OF Dracula (2002; an unsatisfactory hodgepodge of ideas). This unusual 'lesbian vampires' film – of which the director made quite a few, though the only other such title I'm familiar with is the above-mentioned (and slightly superior) LIPS OF BLOOD – evokes much of the same atmosphere, not only of Rollin's work but of that of Jess Franco as well. In fact, the scenes depicting a scantily-clad Brigitte Lahaie walking the castle grounds (albeit armed with a scythe!) in search of victims brings to mind Lina Romay in the Spaniard's own (rather dismal) FEMALE VAMPIRE (1973)!

One of Rollin's traits seems to be that of throwing modern-day characters (in this case a handsome but dumb crook) into essentially Gothic i.e. uncanny surroundings (the annual reunion at the château by a bunch of lovely ladies). The thief believes their mysterious activities to be of a sexual nature and decides to stick around, despite being warned by the two girls who came to the venue beforehand in preparation for the 'ceremony' that the only other male likely to appear is none other than Satan himself! Having the jaded aristocracy of another era indulge in odd rites (such as drinking ox's blood to treat anaemia!) is an intriguing notion – a group of depraved female members, then, decide to take the cure one step further and periodically resort to the intake of human blood (the revelation isn't all that surprising, but nicely handled just the same).

An 'unexpected' development results when it's time to do in with the young man (his criminal associates, who were actually pursuing him after he ran away with the stash of gold, had already been swiftly dealt with by Lahaie's scythe). Though the latter had already been sexually involved with him, her companion believes she has fallen in love and, when the leader of the 'vampires' dispatches Lahaie to eliminate the thief, the other girl shoots her instead! Lahaie stumbles outside to the passageway and, with the spilling of the girl's own blood drawing her 'anaemic' cohorts, they feast on her indiscriminately! The thief pleads with his savior to flee the cursed place together – but, on relating to him their back-story, she realizes that the 'call of blood' is too strong for her to ignore…

Inevitably, the film has all the trademarks of Rollin's style (and, by extension, the whole "Euro-Cult" vibe): lethargic pace, an effective score and – it goes without saying – plenty of naked women (even if, save for Lahaie's unmistakable looks, most prove interchangeable due to the film's essential dearth of characterization!). All of this ensures a haunting and often beautiful piece of work though, not necessarily, a fulfilling {sic} one; by the way, the DivX copy I acquired (which also regrettably displayed brief instances of pixellation) bafflingly omitted any form of credits either at the start or the conclusion – not even the film's very title is anywhere to be seen

Suave and cocky thief Mark (a solid and charming portrayal by the handsome Jean-Marie Lemaire) seeks refuge in a remote castle inhabited by beautiful and beguiling servant girls Eva (the stunningly gorgeous Brigitte Lahaie) and Elizabeth (the absolutely delectable Franca Mai). Unbeknownst to Mark, the two lovely ladies are members of a bizarre and deadly distaff cult of blood-drinking aristocrats. Jean Rollin does his customary masterful job of crafting a supremely eerie and erotic dreamy atmosphere that's both chilling and intoxicating in equal measure: The deliberate pace adds immensely to the film's hypnotic attraction, there's a wealth of striking poetic images (the sight of Lahaie in a flowing open black cape wielding a giant scythe is particularly startling and unforgettable), and Rollin handles the expected nudity, soft-core sex, and lesbianism with admirable class, taste, and restraint. Moreover, Rollin offers a fresh, interesting, and even believable non-supernatural take on the standard fright film premise of vampirism (the strange cult drinks blood as a means to cure anemia). Better still, Rollin not only adds a provocative female empowerment subtext by showing how the fetching and enticing women use their irresistible sexuality to get the arrogant Mark to underestimate just how lethal and dangerous they really are, but also comes through with a nice sense of wickedly playful humor and a stately elegance that's uniquely his own. Rightly regarded as one of Rollin's best-ever movies, it's essential viewing for fans of his offbeat and inspired out-of-the-ordinary work.