''Twins of Evil'' (also known as ''Twins of Dracula'') is a 1971 British

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by John Hough and starring

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...

, with

Damien Thomas Damien Thomas (born 1942 or 1943) is a British actor noted for his roles in British films and television, such as his role as Father Martin Alvito in the 1980 hit miniseries ''Shōgun'' and as Richard Mason in the 1983 BBC production of ''Jane ...

and the real-life identical twins and former ''Playboy'' Playmates

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and

Madeleine Collinson Madeleine Collinson (22 July 1952 – 14 August 2014) was a Maltese-British model and actress. She was chosen as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in October 1970, together with her twin sister Mary Collinson. They were the first ide ...

. It is the third (and final) film in

the Karnstein Trilogy The Karnstein Trilogy, a series of vampire films, was produced by Hammer Films. They are notable at the time for their (for the time) daring lesbian storylines. All three films were scripted by Tudor Gates. They are related by vampires of the noble ...

, based on the 1872 novella ''

Carmilla ''Carmilla'' is an 1872 Gothic fiction, Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) by 26 years. First published as a Serial (literature), serial in ' ...

'' by Sheridan Le Fanu. The film has the least resemblance to the novella and adds a witchfinding theme to the vampire story. Much of the interest of the film revolves around the contrasting evil and good natures of two beautiful sisters, Frieda and Maria. Unlike the previous two entries in the series, this film contains only a brief lesbian element. The film was released in the U.S. as a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with ''

Hands of the Ripper ''Hands of the Ripper'' is a 1971 British horror film, directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions. It was written by L. W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew, and produced by Aida Young. The film was released in the U.S. as a ...

''.

Plot

Set during the 17th century in

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

, identical twin sisters Maria and Frieda Gelhorn move from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

to Karnstein in Central Europe to live with their uncle Gustav Weil after becoming recently orphaned. Weil is a stern

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

and leader of the fanatical witch-hunting 'Brotherhood'. Both twins resent their uncle's sternness and one of them, Frieda, looks for a way to escape. Resenting her uncle, she becomes fascinated by the local Count Karnstein, who has the reputation of being "a wicked man". Count Karnstein, who enjoys the Emperor's favour and thus remains untouched by the Brotherhood, is indeed wicked and interested in

Satanism Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...

and

black magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...

. Trying to emulate his evil ancestors, he murders a girl as a

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...

, calling forth the vampiress Countess Mircalla Karnstein from her grave. Mircalla turns the Count into a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

. Frieda, following an invitation from the Count, steals away to the castle at night, while Maria covers for her absence. In the castle, the Count transforms Frieda into a vampire, offering her a beautiful young chained victim. Returning home, Frieda threatens Maria to keep covering for her nightly excursions, but secretly fearing she might bite her sister. Meanwhile, Maria becomes interested in the handsome young teacher, Anton, who is initially infatuated with the more mysterious Frieda. Anton has studied what he calls "superstition", but becomes convinced of the existence of vampires when his sister falls victim to one. One night, when Frieda attacks a member of the Brotherhood, she is captured by her uncle and put in jail. While the Brotherhood debates the vampire woman's fate, the Count and his servants kidnap Maria and exchange her for Frieda in the jail cell. Anton goes to see Maria, not knowing that she is actually Frieda. She tries to seduce him, but he sees her lack of reflection in a mirror and repels her with a cross. Anton rushes to rescue Maria from a burning. Maria kisses a cross, revealing her innocence. Weil now listens to Anton's advice on hunting vampires, and the two men lead the Brotherhood and the villagers to Castle Karnstein to destroy the Count. The Count and Frieda attempt to flee, but they are surprised by Weil. Weil captures Frieda and decapitates her. The Count captures Maria, but Weil appears with an axe. Weil challenges the Count and is killed. Anton seizes his chance and pierces the Count's heart with a spear. Maria and Anton reunite while Karnstein crumbles to corruption.

Cast

as Gustav Weil *

Kathleen Byron Kathleen Elizabeth Fell (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was an English actress. Early life Byron was born in Manor Park (then part of Essex) to what she described as "staunch working-class social ...

as Katy Weil *

Mary Collinson Mary Collinson (22 July 1952 – 23 November 2021) was a Maltese-British model and actress. She was chosen as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in October 1970, together with her twin sister Madeleine Collinson. They were the first id ...

as Maria Gellhorn *

as Frieda Gellhorn *

as Count Karnstein *

David Warbeck David Warbeck (born David Mitchell; 17 November 1941 – 23 July 1997) was a New Zealand actor and model best known for his roles in European exploitation and horror films. A native of Christchurch, New Zealand, Warbeck became involved in local ...

as Anton Hoffer *

Dennis Price Dennistoun Franklyn John Rose Price (23 June 1915 – 6 October 1973) was an English actor, best remembered for his role as Louis Mazzini in the film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1949) and for his portrayal of the omnicompetent valet Jeeves ...

as Dietrich *

Katya Wyeth Katya Wyeth (born 1 January 1948) is a former model and actress notable for her roles in several classic horror films of the early 1970s. She was married to British actor Michael Bangerter, with whom she had two children. Credited early on as K ...

as Countess Mircalla Karnstein *

Roy Stewart Roy Stewart (15 May 1925 – 27 October 2008) was a Jamaican-born British actor. He began his career as a stuntman and went on to work in film and television. In 1954 he founded Roy Stewart's Gym in Powis Square, North Kensington, and ran th ...

as Joachim *

Isobel Black Isobel Anne Gatward ( Black; born 15 December 1942), known professionally as Isobel Black, is a British actress. She is the daughter of the screenwriter Ian Stuart Black. Isobel Black attended Queen Elizabeth's Girls’ Grammar School in Barn ...

as Ingrid Hoffer *

Harvey Hall Harvey L. Hall (January 5, 1941 – May 19, 2018) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 25th mayor of Bakersfield, California. Hall was first elected in 2000, and re-elected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was one of the longes ...

as Franz * Alex Scott as Hermann * Shelagh Wilcox as lady in coach *

Inigo Jackson Inigo Jackson (19 July 1933 – 25 August 2001) was an English actor who appeared in theatre, films and television. He was christened Anthony Michael Jackson. After leaving RADA in 1961, he changed his first name to Inigo believing that hi ...

as woodman *

Judy Matheson Judy Matheson (27 August 1945) is a British actress notable for her appearances in several horror films in the 1970s. She also appeared in many other films and television series. Career After drama school, Matheson began her career in 1967 wi ...

as woodman's daughter *

Kirsten Lindholm __NOTOC__ Kirsten Lindholm, born Kirsten Lindholm Andreassen on 1 September 1943 in Odense, Denmark,Kirsten Lindholm

as young girl at the stake *

Luan Peters Luan Peters (18 June 1946 – 24 December 2017), also known as Karol Keyes, was an English actress and singer. Biography Born Carol Ann Hirsch, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at the ag ...

as Gerta * Peter Thompson as gaoler

Production

Hammer was originally going to make a film called ''Vampire Virgins''; however, producer Harry Fine saw a ''Playboy'' spread involving the Collinson twins and decided to make a film focusing on them.''The Flesh and the Fury: Xposing Twins of Evil'' (2012) *

Ingrid Pitt Ingrid Pitt (born Ingoushka Petrov; 21 November 193723 November 2010) was a Polish-British actress and writer best known for her work in horror films of the 1970s. Early life Ingoushka Petrov was born in Warsaw, Poland, one of two daughters ...

was again offered the part of Countess Mircalla Karnstein, but refused. * The same sets were used for ''

Vampire Circus ''Vampire Circus'' is a 1972 British horror film directed by Robert Young and starring Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Anthony Higgins (billed as Anthony Corlan). It was written by Judson Kinberg, and produced by Wilbur Stark and Michae ...

''. * Harvey Hall and Kirsten Lindholm appear in all three films of the trilogy, although in different roles in each one. Peter Cushing also played one of the leads in the first, ''

The Vampire Lovers ''The Vampire Lovers'' is a 1970 British Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams and Jon Finch. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. I ...

'' (a part was written for Cushing in the second film, but he dropped out of the production due to the illness of his wife. The role was taken over by

Ralph Bates Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom '' Dear John'' and the original ''Poldark''. Biography Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were bo ...

). Luan Peters, who plays a small role in this film, also appeared in the second film, ''

Lust for a Vampire ''Lust for a Vampire'', also known as ''Love for a Vampire'' or ''To Love a Vampire'' (the latter title was the one used on American television), is a 1971 British Hammer Horror film directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Barbara Jeffo ...

'', as did Judy Matheson. * The original film included a short scene, later cut, in which the evil twin approaches her uncle. The scene is out of place as their uncle is busy burning the other sister; somehow he teleports back home and the evil twin gives him a show. Cut out for American audiences and possibly to maintain continuity, the original scene was aired on public television in the 1980s. * Music for the film was devised by the British composer Harry Robinson, who had already produced a soundtrack for ''

''.

Reception

Film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

gave the film a passing grade of two and a half stars, calling it "engaging" and "inspired" in its use of the Collinson twins. A.H. Weiler wrote in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that the Collinson twins made the film interesting, but "The rest of the costumed crew...hardly give ''Twins of Evil'' a good name." One year after its release, Robert L. Jerome observed, "The film is done with Hammer's obvious care for details and a sobriety which creates the proper mood of unexpected evil in attractive, tranquil surroundings."

In other media

A novelisation of the film was written by

Shaun Hutson Shaun Hutson (born 1958) is a British novelist in the horror and crime genres. Under his own name and various pen names, he has written at least thirty novels. Background A native of Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire, England, Hutson no ...

and published by Arrow Publishing in association with Hammer and the

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

Group in 2011, . The book contains an introduction by the film's director, John Hough. The film was adapted into an 18-page comic strip for the January–February 1977 issue of the magazine ''

House of Hammer ''The House of Hammer'' was a British black-and-white magazine featuring articles and comics related to the Hammer Film Productions series of horror and science fiction films. The brainchild of Dez Skinn,Dakin, John. "'Marvel Revolution' in Engl ...

'' (vol. 1) #7, published by General Book Distribution. It was drawn by

Blas Gallego Blas Gallego (born 1941 in Barcelona) is a Spanish artist, painter and illustrator with a career spanning six decades. He has created and drawn comic books and strips, book covers, film posters, role-playing game cards, and portraits, among othe ...

from a script by Chris Lowder. The cover of the issue featured a painting by Brian Lewis based on imagery from the film. Australian indie rock band

Turnstyle A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...

used a sample of Karnstein summoning

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

in their song Winter Rodeo, in 1999.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Twins Of Evil 1971 films 1971 horror films 1970s erotic films 1971 LGBT-related films British erotic films Films about dysfunctional families Films about murderers Films about twin sisters Films based on horror novels Films based on Irish novels Films based on works by Sheridan Le Fanu Films directed by John Hough Films set in Austria Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in Serbia Films set in castles Gothic horror films Hammer Film Productions horror films Lesbian-related films LGBT-related horror films Universal Pictures films British vampire films Twins in fiction 1970s English-language films 1970s British films