Lips of Blood

1975 Directed by Jean Rollin

Horror Marathon 2024 Day 1 Film 2

A man happens upon a picture of a deserted castle during an exhibit. He's instantly transported to this vision he had as a boy- of a girl that he finds in the middle of the night in some enchanted evening. It welcomes him as a memory- or was it? His thoughts keep going back to the vision of her- whose gaze beckons him to a cemetery where he releases bats from a crypt. Unknowingly releasing the crypt of female vampires, he's stalked by their hunters and seems to be hunted himself. Rollin directs this with a dreamlike flair- echoes of faces and twin sensual vampires stalk his waking moments- draining their victims. Eventually he realizes that his love from so long ago is real vampire, and commits himself to her grasp.

The narrative isn't concerned about being a vampire story as it is a story about deep romantic longing. His mother keeps him from that longing, trapping the man as a boy. Without much dialog the sequences move along as drifting gothic set pieces. Much of the acting is a bit campy- even with sequences of an unknown assassin the paced intrigue doesn't come with much violence. This ethereal quality is a strength as the atmosphere for the film permeates everything. The film washes over you like an anxious erotic fever dream. Thankfully the slow vibe doesn't overstay itself- and leaves the impression of a need for the abyss.