20 Fantastic German Horror Films You Must See Before You Die
4. Vampyros Lesbos (1971)
Jesús Franco makes yet another entry on this list with this German-Spanish erotic horror tale. Vampyros Lesbos was one of many lesbian themed vampire films to come out in the early 1970s. This film finds Franco leaving his baroque stylings and gothic entrapments behind for a more minimalistic style that would signal a major artistic period for him as a director. The story itself is basically a lesbian themed retelling of Dracula.
Linda (Ewa Strömberg), a young woman representing a legal firm, travels to a remote island to settle the estate of a wealthy Countess (Soledad Miranda). When Linda meets the Countess she realizes it is the same woman who has appeared to her in a recurring erotic dream. The lovely Linda is quickly seduced by the sexy Countess, who not only thirsts for her body and blood but for her soul.
Both actresses provide a strong energy on-screen in their key scenes together. There is nudity and explicit softcore lesbianism – an aspect that warranted twelve minutes of cuts to the original theatrical version. A potent female energy governs the atmosphere as Franco juxtaposes sex and horror to a flawless effect.