Twins of Evil (1971)
Film Review
by John DeBartolo

Rating:

Produced in England by Hammer Studios, directed by John Hough, script by Tudor Gates approximately 87 minutes, Eastmancolor and released in 1971. Distributed in the United States by Universal Pictures Company with an "R" rating.

A dark brooding tale based upon the "Carmilla" legend of witch hunting and it begins by Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing), a stern witchfinder, seeking and burning at the stake a young woman who is suspected of being a witch. A pair of well endowed and recently orphaned nieces of Gustav arrive at his home In the town of Karnstein during the 17th century, one of the twins, Maria (Mary Collinson), is a good and wholesome young lady and the other twin, Frieda (Madeleine Collinson), is the complete opposite.

Meanwhile at Count Karnstein's castle, the Count (Damien Thomas) bored with his life of debauchery, decides to call the devil by sacrificing a young girl during a violent storm. Count Karnstein's wish is granted and the devil appears as a long dead relative, Countess Mircalla, who bites him and turns him into a vampire. In the village, Maria meets Anton (David Warbeck) a school teacher and Frieda meets Count Karnstein and that evening Frieda sneaks out of Gustav's house to meet Count Karnstein in his castle. After dinner at the castle, Count Karnstein bites Frieda who joins the "undead" and at the same time Uncle Gustav is out hunting and burning young girls at the stake. Things become complicated when Anton gets Gustav's ire when Anton complains to the church authorities of Gustav's witch hunting activities and Frieda who now must obtain a daily helping of blood is caught killing a villager by Gustav and his witchhunters.

The Twins of Evil was the last film in what became known as the Karnstein trilogy, following The Vampire Lovers and Lust For A Vampire and all three films contain Hammer Film's particular contribution to the genre, deep bosomed young woman in decollete and men on horseback riding through woods on moonlit nights. The big different in this last film on the Karnstein's is that instead of one deep bosomed woman we have two. Madeleine and Mary Collinson who star as Frieda and Maria Gellhorn have another claim to fame is that they were the first twins to appear as Playmates in the October, 1970, issue of Playboy magazine.

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