Cinema
I vampiri
Riccardo Freda · 1957
Synopsis
Paris, in the 1950s. Young women disappear and are found drained of their blood; all have the same blood group, and the press speaks of a “vampire”. Pierre Lantin, a young journalist, conducts his own investigation, which leads him to the château of an old reclusive duchess and her niece. Then his fiancée is abducted in turn.
Context
The film was shot in Rome in 1956, in the Titanus studios, on a tight budget that allowed only twelve days of shooting. After a dispute with the producers, Riccardo Freda left the set, and his cinematographer, Mario Bava, finished the film in two days. The reception in cinemas was disappointing, in Italy as in France. It was released in English-speaking countries under the titles “The Devil's Commandment” and “Lust of the Vampire”, in shorter cuts.
Who it is for
A short film, somewhere between a police investigation and gothic horror, completed by another hand than that of its director.
Prizes and reception
The first Italian horror film of the sound era, it opens the way to the Italian gothic that Mario Bava would go on to develop.
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