Vampyres

“Vampyres”? Oh yes. Beautiful young bisexual female vampyres. Add to that ample sex, copious nudity, and the usual vampire trappings—mirrors breaking, watches stopping, fake blood flowing by the bucketful—and what more could you possibly want (other than decent acting, a good script, and competent directing, of course)? In director José Ramón Larraz‘s 1974 sexploitation-horror fest, two comely “daughters of Dracula,” Miriam (Playboy playmate Anulka Dziubinska) and Fran (Brit model Marianne Morris), hang out in a spooky old mansion in the bleak English countryside. When night falls, the pair head out for the highway in order to flag down another in a succession of young men who are only too eager to accompany the ladies back to the manor, where the hapless victims are plied with wine and sex before the women get down to the bloody business. Besides a side bit involving an all-fated couple who park their camper on the grounds, that's about the long and short of it: skin, sex (although not X-rated), and violence. While Vampyres serves up a few genuinely scary jolts, there's no avoiding the obvious: interest in this cult non-classic will be in direct proportion to one's desire to see attractive nude women in, uh, action. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Larraz and producer Brian Smedley-Aston, and interviews with Dziubinska and Morris. A strong optional purchase. (S. Graham)