For me these films were never available growing up in North America as they were French productions but if you had a copy of a book called The Seal of Dracula which discussed the history of vampire films then you knew they were actual films and far more racier with a lot more flesh than was being shown in North American films or even Hammer for that matter. The four films in this set have titles alone that would cause most heads to turn and especially at the time of their release. The Rape of the Vampire (1968), The Nude Vampire (1970), The Shiver of the Vampires (1971) and Requiem For a Vampire (1973).
As for the films themselves they no doubt will not be for everyone’s taste and at times I wonder why I am watching. Rollin’s films have a very dreamlike quality to them which can work in their favor at times because at other points they can appear to very amateurish. Still they somehow hold your interest to see where the next scene is going to take us logic be damned. With the advent of home video the films have been available for some time now in North America but with this current Redemption series available from Kino Lorber on blu ray the films have never looked better. There is plenty of bonus materials on these discs including liner notes from Mario Bava expert Tim Lucas and if you are like me you may have already purchased the 10 pack of Rollins films about a year ago from Kino by mail. So as for series one, be rest assured there will be more to follow.
Mike's Take On the Movies 