As Halloween Month continues, here’s a look at my favorite Jean Rollin vampire films. Note that these are not my all-time favorite movies about vampires, just my favorites by Rollin.
This French director is known as a “love him or hate him” kind of creator and in my opinion his works range from brilliant to So Bad They’re Good. In the past Balladeer’s Blog has examined Jean’s zombie films like The Living Dead Girl and Pesticide, his “vampires as a mutant species” flick The Nude Vampire and his oddly modern horror work Night of the Hunted.
Toss in his eerie, haunting and beautiful movie The Iron Rose and I’ve covered most of the Jean Rollin films that I consider to be on the good to brilliant side of the ledger. I avoided reviewing his vampire movies (outside of the quasi-science fiction piece The Nude Vampire) because they are virtually their own separate subgenre and I wanted to feature my favorites in one post.
THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES (1970) – In my view this is the first real example of a Rollin vampire film. His Rape of the Vampire definitely showed how inexperienced he was at horror, while The Nude Vampire had those undertones of sci-fi that I mentioned above.
This film is labeled everything from arthouse to grindhouse but I consider it to be more on the arthouse side. Think of a combination of Federico Fellini & David Lynch crossed with Hammer’s erotic vampire movies. It’s definitely Adults Only but more for tone and eroticism than gore and violence.
Isle (Sandra Julien) and Antoine (Jean-Marie Durand) are newlyweds who have just left their wedding reception and stop off to visit two of Isle’s male cousins in their very old castle by the sea. Two beautiful, enigmatic ladies greet them at the castle and introduce themselves as the maids. Continue reading
LIBERTY VS LYNX: GAME THREE – The NEW YORK LIBERTY visited the MINNESOTA LYNX as this best of five series stood at 1 game apiece. 
THE WERWOLVES (1898) – Written by Honore Beaugrand, this story features fairly unique werewolf lore. The tale is not structured in a traditional way but instead expands upon accounts of lycanthropy in campfire tales as if they really, truly happened. 
NANCY (1970-1971) – With I Dream of Jeannie having finished its final season, creator Sidney Sheldon launched his new series Nancy, about the 21-year-old daughter of the incumbent U.S. President finding love with a small-town Iowa veterinarian. Would it complete a sitcom Hat Trick for Sidney and be as successful as his previous Patty Duke Show and the aforementioned I Dream of Jeannie? Not a chance. 
Renne Jarrett starred as First Daughter Nancy Smith, a pretty young lady living in Center City, IA. Nancy stayed with her guardian and chaperone Abby Townsend, played by the one and only Celeste Holm. 
FRANKENSTEIN (1910) – This first ever cinematic depiction of the classic horror story was produced by Edison Studios, as in Thomas Edison. Luckily Frankenstein has survived, and existing copies run from 11 minutes to 16 minutes. 
Edison Studios efforts were known for their slipshod, seat of their pants nature, and Frankenstein serves up my all-time favorite back-to-back dialogue boards. “Frankenstein leaves for college.” followed by “Two years later Frankenstein has discovered the mystery of life.” (… And Frankenstein Created Cram School) 
DOWN GOES NUMBER FOUR – In the NAIA the CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY PHOENIX hosted the number 4 team in the nation – the BETHEL (TN) WILDCATS. Neither team scored in the opening Quarter, but the score was tied at 7-7 come Halftime. After the break, the Phoenix outscored Bethel University 14-7 for a 21-14 Upset.
INDIE TEAM OVER NCAA – This game saw the independent NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) welcoming the D3 MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY MARINERS. The Builders returned the opening kickoff for a Touchdown, then notched a 35-12 1st Quarter lead. The Apprentice School never looked back from there, demolishing the Mariners SEVENTY-TWO to TWENTY-SIX! 
PENITENTE (Penitent) 
To redeem himself in the eyes of Heaven, the Penitente had to save seventy times seven the number of innocent victims he had killed while alive. As part of this purgative servitude he would also be periodically pitted against dark forces which had escaped from Hell. 
Comment: Our hero rose from his grave and masked his decaying, scarred face behind a red cloth like those worn during Brazil’s Procession of the Penitents. 
LYNX VS LIBERTY: GAME ONE – The MINNESOTA LYNX visited the NEW YORK LIBERTY to get the Finals started. 
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