Horror Classics: Twins of Evil
The third installment in the Karnstein trilogy is an Improvement...
I'm having a genuinely good time with this series and I think by now you guys know what's up. With that in mind, let's just jump right into this review.
As with the previous entries, I'll be discussing the film in detail so there will be spoilers ahead!
Some History
The horror genre has more or less always been popular. It's a genre that defies expectations and gives us a thrill of terror - usually without endangering our lives. I don't think it's really possible to give an exact date as to when the genre entered mainstream consciousness but I like to think that it happened in 1931 with the release of Universal Pictures' Dracula.
The 1931 film gave audiences a new sort of horror to experience and birthed a legacy which can still be felt today. As the 30's progressed, the horror scene changed and by the time the 1940's and 50's rolled around audiences had grown somewhat tired of the usual movie monsters. The vampires and werewolves had lost their fear factor as a new type of fear gripped the world in the wake of the Second World War.
Suddenly, the fear was centered around nuclear experimentation and alien invaders all the horrors those things entailed. The supernatural threats were, by and large, no longer of interest to audience.
Hammer Enters the Scene
In 1957, a little studio called Hammer Films made a splash onto the scene with Curse of Frankenstein. The film was a major success and supernatural horror was back in business! From then on, Hammer Films continued to be a major player in horror films; producing several hits until the start of the 70's.
What happened? Time happened. The productions were hit and miss and after a while the formula became stale - this is something you'll see as I look at other Hammer films in this series. Audiences grew bored, the industry changed again. Simply put: Hammer Film Studios couldn't keep up and adapt. As the 70's moved on, the company was still churning out the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein. Many of these films were received negatively by critics and audiences alike. Despite a few hits in the late seventies, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires in 1974 and To the Devil a Daughter in 1976; the studio ultimately couldn't stay afloat. As a result, they went underground - so to speak - following the release of a 1979 remake of Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.
The Karnstein Trilogy (1970 - 1971)
The Karnstein trilogy is, from what I gather, largely viewed as a desperate attempt by the company to save itself from potentially going out of business. J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novella Carmilla was set up as the basis of a film allowed the company to explore hitherto taboo subjects onscreen and they milked it for all they could. This seems like a good thing but as the trilogy progressed there was thematically less in common with the source material and the draw for the films (the lesbianism) was largely nonexistent by the time of the third film in 1971.
October of 1970 saw the release of The Vampire Lovers, and in spite of everything being leveled against it; the film was a hit. There was a rush to put out a sequel and Lust for a Vampire was released in January of 1971. The second installment was not as successful as the first but Hammer persevered and the result of that perseverance was Twins of Evil.
Twins of Evil was released just nine months after Lust for a Vampire, on October 3rd, 1971. Now, unlike the previous two installments; I wasn't able to find much in terms of background info for the film. I did, however, find an article by the AV Club; which talks about some of the inspiration behind the film and how it's a prequel to the previous two films. It's not much but it's something.
So, what's the story?
Twin sisters, Maria and Freida, come to the village of Karnstein from Venice to live with their uncle following the deaths of their parents. Their uncle, Gustave Weill is a puritan witch hunter and his sternness drives one of his nieces into the arms of the evil vampire Count Karnstein.
Obviously things go downhill very quickly from there.
What Works?
There are several things that work really well in this film. Harry Robertson's score is absolutely phenomenal. It evokes a deep sense of dread or discomfort. You know something's happening or about to happen but you're not quite sure what's going on. The tone and pacing are consistent; changing at the appropriate times to make things exciting.
The writing is also much better. Tudor Gates' screenplays for the Karnstein Trilogy were largely negatively received for the previous films. With that in mind, it's nice to see him do something that works. The sets are absolutely fantastic and the countryside is beautiful to look at.
I also loved the minimal use of gore and all the practical special effects work. This is something that I've talked about a few times but it bears repeating; practical, in-camera effects are much more believable than some CGI mess! I might not be a film school grad but I wish we had more practical stuff nowadays.
Something else that the film improved on from Lust for a Vampire was the costumes. I didn't really talk about the costumes but they were very much a mixed bag with the previous film. Some were richly colored and great and others looked like cheap Halloween costumes - complete with washed-out colors. Twins of Evil goes the exact opposite direction. Every jacket, hat, and dress look like they actually belong in the period and the colors actually stand out against the background - particularly the deep blue gown that Maria is wearing towards the end of the film.
Performance-wise, Peter Cushing is absolutely fantastic. He approaches the role of Gustave Weill with gusto and presents a terrifying religious zealot whom everyone fears. Damien Thomas' Count Karnstein is likewise great to watch. You can tell Thomas is having a blast and he imbues the character of the Count with a sense of vanity, cruelty, and boredom that is both fitting, and terrifying. He delights in his evil pastimes and doesn't seem to care either way if the witch hunters know it or not.
The standout performances, however, have to be the twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson. These two women really gave the film everything they had and you wouldn't know that they were relative newcomers to the movie business by watching them. Twins of Evil was, I believe, the 7th and final film that the two did - although, Mary did go on to do some television appearances as well. Mary's portrayal of Maria as the typical pure, innocent goody two-shoes is fantastic and perfectly highlights her sisters' portrayal of Frieda's darker nature.
For her part, Madeleine Collinson was able to provide both the vulnerability of a resentful niece who ends up sort of in over her head and the darkness and evil of the vampire she becomes. There's a certain presence that Frieda has onscreen that is both alluring and intimidating.
What Doesn't Work?
Okay, so...what doesn't work? Well, quite a bit actually. I'll start off with the film's placement in the trilogy.
I mentioned before that this film is a prequel of sorts to the other two films in the Karnstein trilogy. The problem with this is that it contradicts a few points from the previous films - which makes sense. It also seemingly only serves to give the Man in Black a name. Of course, the problem there is that he already has a name. We already know from the previous film that he's Count Karnstein so it's kind of pointless to tell us something we already know.
The next fail is a bit more irritating, especially considering that the film draws on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novella Carmilla. What is that fail? The portrayal of the character of Carmilla. She appears for maybe 2 or 3 minutes, has sex with the Count, turns him into a vampire, and then disappears. Now, while the story is good and the writing is much better than the previous two outings, the central character of Carmilla is a nonentity. It's frustrating because the idea of making a series of Carmilla adaptations is a good one. Believe it or not, however, this I can sort of live with. The film's biggest failing is not in the use of the Carmilla character but instead in the character of Gustave Weill.
For the bulk of the film, Gustave Weill is a cold, cruel man. A religious fanatic who rides down innocent women to be burned at the stake for witchcraft. When his niece, Frieda, turns up as a vampire she's captured and his wife has to stop him from going after Maria for witchcraft as well - I'm going to talk about this scene some more in a bit. The film then tries in the last 20 minutes or so to do some serious mental acrobatics to make the character of Weill sympathetic and it just doesn't work.
Standout Moments in the Film
As with the other two films, I have to point out some points in the film that really stand out to me.
The Opening Scene
Twins of Evil boasts one of the most intense opening sequences in the history of Hammer horror. It starts out with the typical gorgeous countryside and we're greeted with a shot of men dressed in black riding through the woods at a gallop.
We then see a couple in a hut and the man is knocked unconscious when he investigates a sound. What follows is a chilling scene in which the woman pleads for her life before being burned at the stake - apparently for witchcraft.
This is Peter Cushing's finest performance and, I dare say, his most intimidating. The defining moment of the scene comes after he knocks out the woman's husband. She's pleading her innocence and presents a cross as evidence of said innocence. Cushing doesn't say a word as he slowly, methodically pulls the cross from around her neck.
The Transformation
There wasn't much to the transformation sequence - which is exactly why it stands out. Whenever I watch a vampire film, the transformation from human to vampire is usually quite wild; lots of thrashing and groaning and screaming.
That's why it was refreshing to see a transformation that was as simple as get bitten, stand in front of a mirror, and watch your reflection vanish.
Katy Weill Confronting her Husband
Arguably the most powerful scene in the film, the scene where Gustave Weill is finally put in his place - so to speak - comes immediately after the capture of Frieda. The leader of the Brotherhood is trying to get past his wife to see Maria.
Gustave's wife, Katy, refuses to let him near the girl and the two of them have some back and forth with Katy asking about Frieda:
"Did you ever consider that you may have beaten the devil into her?"
This gives her husband a reason to pause, and think for a bit before we get his despairing line:
"I have always tried to be a good man."
Now, I take issue with that line because not once in this film do we, the audience see an attempt to be a 'good' man. We see a cruel fanatic who lashes out at anyone who doesn't agree with him. There are little moments with his wife where we get a hint in his facial expression or a tilt of his head but other than that we get nothing.
Still, Katy gets the last word and it strikes its mark damn-near perfectly.
"Yes, you have tried."
The implication being that he was once a much kinder man who has since gone out of his mind - so to speak. This whole scene is great and it's one of the best in the entire film.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Twins of Evil is a nice return to form for Hammer Productions. It's got its share of problems - much like its predecessors. The pacing is great, performances are fantastic. Unfortunately, the Count's lack of a screen presence and the fact that Carmilla - who's arguably the basis of the entire trilogy - is in the film for less than two minutes kind of damages the experience slightly - although, that's only if you're expecting a story on Carmilla herself. The last minute redemption of Gustave Weill's character is unearned and it comes completely out of left field.
All that said, the film is pretty good - if you're in the right mood for it. Personally, I liked the film but I didn't love it. As far as the trilogy as a whole, it was a good idea that started out okay and then went somewhat downhill. That's not to say that the films themselves are bad - the Vampire Lovers is one of my favorite Hammer films - it's more a case of they lacked consistent strength. Hopefully that makes sense. I may revisit the Karnstein trilogy and discuss the series overall at some point but for now I think we'll move on to something else.
About the Creator
Greg Seebregts
I'm a South African writer, blogger and English tutor; I've published 1 novel and am working on publishing a 2nd. I also write reviews on whatever interests me. I have a YouTube Channel as well where I review books, and manga and so on.
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.