Synopsis
Vampyros Lesbos (1971) centers on a German lawyer traveling to a Mediterranean island to settle the affairs of a reclusive aristocrat whose allure exerts a powerful hold over her. As recurring dreams, erotic encounters, and increasingly unsettling experiences intensify while the countess reveals her connection to an ancient vampiric legacy, the young woman finds herself caught between desire and destruction. This Spanish-West German horror film examines obsession and seduction within a dreamlike world where reality and fantasy continually overlap, as personal boundaries erode, with vampirism, erotic fixation, and psychological manipulation.
Criticism
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Seeing the clips of Vampyros Lesbos where Jess was basically restaging with Soledad Miranda and Ewa Stroemberg the scene in Dracula where Bela Lugosi offers Dwight Frye wine with his dinner, but with sunlight instead of moonlight and fishing nets everywhere instead of cobwebs, I made the connection that, here, he was reinventing everything, as a director, in the same way that Christina von Blanc’s character would reinvent everything that she sees in A Virgin Among the Living Dead, as a schizophrenic mental patient—seeing the mental hospital where she is kept as a hotel, and the doctors as hotel staff. It’s an opportunity for the filmmaker to use whatever they have at their disposal to tell any story they care to tell, and for the viewer, it’s an opportunity to see differently.
Tim Lucas, A Morning with Jess (Video WatchBlog, 2015)
Selected disc options for Vampyros Lesbos
| Extras | Severin BD-ALL 4K/US 2026 | Severin BD-ALL/US 2015 | Image DVD-1/US/OOP 2004 | Synapse DVD-0/US/OOP 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger | has extra | |||
| Audio Commentary by Aaron AuBuchon, John Dickson and Will Morris | has extra | |||
| In the Land of Franco, Part 12 - With Stephen Thrower | has extra | |||
| The Red Scarf Diaries - Jess Franco Career Appreciation by Sean Baker | has extra | |||
| Fever Dracula - Interview with Stephen Thrower | has extra | |||
| Jess is Yoda - Interview Clip with Director Jess Franco | has extra | has extra | ||
| Sublime Soledad - Interview with Soledad Miranda Historian Amy Brown | has extra | has extra | ||
| Vampyros Jesús - Interview with Director Jess Franco | has extra | has extra | ||
| Interview with Stephen Thrower | has extra | |||
| German Opening Title Sequence | has extra | has extra | ||
| Stills Gallery | has extra | |||
| German Theatrical Trailer | has extra | has extra | has extra | has extra |
Notes
- Synapse’s DVD includes a booklet with writing by Tim Lucas.
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Ultimate Edition
Combine the best digital presentation with a selection of choice extras for the ultimate edition.
| Presentation | |
|---|---|
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Severin BD 2015
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| Extras | Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger Severin 4K |
| Audio Commentary by Aaron AuBuchon, John Dickson and Will Morris Severin 4K | |
| In the Land of Franco, Part 12 - With Stephen Thrower Severin 4K | |
| The Red Scarf Diaries - Jess Franco Career Appreciation by Sean Baker Severin 4K | |
| Fever Dracula - Interview with Stephen Thrower Severin 4K | |
| Jess is Yoda - Interview Clip with Director Jess Franco Severin 4K | |
| Jess is Yoda - Interview Clip with Director Jess Franco Severin BD | |
| Sublime Soledad - Interview with Soledad Miranda Historian Amy Brown Severin 4K | |
| Sublime Soledad - Interview with Soledad Miranda Historian Amy Brown Severin BD | |
| Vampyros Jesús - Interview with Director Jess Franco Severin 4K | |
| Vampyros Jesús - Interview with Director Jess Franco Severin BD | |
| Interview with Stephen Thrower Severin BD | |
| German Opening Title Sequence Severin 4K | |
| German Opening Title Sequence Severin BD | |
| Stills Gallery Image DVD | |
| German Theatrical Trailer Severin 4K | |
| German Theatrical Trailer Severin BD |