VAMPYROS LESBOS aka LESBIAN VAMPIRES (1971)

Jess Franco's thirty-seventh film was VAMPYROS LESBOS aka LESBIAN VAMPIRES. It was written by Jaime Chavarri, Anne Settimo and Jess Franco, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, produced by Artur Brauner, music by Manfred Hubler, Sigi Schwab and Jess Franco, filmed in Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain in Eatmancolour, released by Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), it runs for 91 mins in Argentina and 89 mins elsewhere. It has made €55,096 in Spain as of 1st August 2002. It starred Susan Korda (aka Soledad Miranda) as Condessa Oskudar, Ewa Stromberg as Linda Westinghouse, Dennis Price as Dr. Alwin Seward, Heidrun Kussin as Agra, Jose Martinez Blanco as Morpho, Andres Monales as Omar, Paul Muller as Dr. Steiner, Michael Berling as Dr. Seward's Assistant and Jess Franco as Memmet.

This was the second of the four films that were released after her death.

The film opens with a woman doing an exotic dance, wearing a black nightie, holding a candelabra, while being watched by a naked woman.

It turns out that the dance is taking place in a night club. A couple who are watching it seem to very intrested in what they are viewing.

When it has finished the man says to the woman that she seems to be very excited.

That night they are sleeping in bed. The woman begins to hear her name, Linda, being called by the woman who was dancing at the night club. She then has a dream about a Chinese kite, Budapest, her boarding a boat, the woman standing in a garden, a house, a recliner seen through a fishing net, the woman clothed in a red see-through dress, blood dripping down a window, a moth caught in a net, a scorpian walking across a stone flagged floor and Linda going down on the woman.

The next day, Linda is lying on a couch talking about her dream, saying how it arouses her and brings her to orgasm, then last night, she and her boyfriend Omar went to a night club and saw the woman there. The psychologist recomends that she take a lover, a better lover.

Linda returns to the Istanbul Hilton Hotel, where Omar is waiting for her. He asks her if she has seen Dr. Steiner, she replies that she has, but he had nothing important to say.

A few days latter Linda is back at work, her secretary informs her that the manager wants her to expand the business in Turkey and would like her to visit the Countess Carody in Anatolia about an inheritance.

She makes her way by boat to Anatolia. There she goes to charter a boat to the Kadidados Islands, but she has already missed the boat, but finds that Countess Carody has booked her into the Plaj Hotel.

The bellboy Memmet (its Jess Franco!), is told to show her to her room. He tells her that he picked the room himself, cleaned it for her and if she needs anything to contact him.

That night Linda is having a dream, which she wakes from with a start. She leaves her room, walks down the stairs. Opening a door, Memmet grabs her arm. (A genuine scary moment, it is so quiet doing the scene, that when he grabs her arm, you jump). He tells her not to go to the island, because madness and death awaits her there, but before he can tell her anymore the manager calls for him. Before he leaves, he tells her to meet him in the wine-cellar later.

Later on she goes to the wine-cellar, to find Memmet next to a bleeding woman, tied to a chair. Shocked she leaves.

The next day, Linda is on a boat heading for the Kadidados Islands by boat, she arrives on the island and makes her way to a house. She is observed by a man wearing glasses. She notices a moth on a window and a scorpian scutterling across the ground. She arrives at the house, seeing a door open, she enters the house, asking if there is anyone home. She then sees blood dripping down a window. This proves too much for her and she flees from the house, only to be stopped by a womans voice saying hello. She turns round and sees a woman sitting on a recliner.

It is Countess Carody!

She invites her for a swim, which Linda accepts, but as they make there way across the beach, Linda mentions that she does not have a swimsuit, but Countess Carody says that there is no need to be shy, nobody will see them. The Countess enters the water, while Linda takes off her clothes. Naked she joins the the Countess in the water. Unknown to Linda she is being watched.

After swimming for a while, the Countess and Linda lying down in the sand sunbathing.

After a while, the Countess removes her bikini and lays down on her front.

Later on they sit down for dinner.

Over dinner Linda talks to the Countess about her inheritence, mentioning that it was not easy transfering the property to her, seeing that it had been in the Dracula family for centuries. She asks for some background on the Count and his family.

The Countess explains that, like her, the Dracula family came from Hungary. Dracula left everything to her, the woman who made his life worth living (?)  She mentions that one day, she will pass on her inheritence to somebody who deserves it.

Linda mentions that maybe she could help. The Countess says that it is quite possible...Maybe even sooner than she thinks.

After finishing her red wine, Linda falls into a trance. The Countess asks her what is wrong, Linda replies that she has a terrible headache. The Countess suggests that she should lie down. Linda thanks her and passes out. The countess calls for her servant Morpho, who turns out to be the man who has been watching Linda.

Morpho carries Linda into a bedroom, laying her on a bed. After a while the Countess draws back a curtain revealing blood on her lower lip.

Linda wakes up. Seeing the Countess, Linda gets off the bed and stands up, waiting as the Countess approaches her. Reaching out she first of all touches her face, then she runs her hand down to her right breast.



She then leans in to kiss her, while Linda keeps her eyes open and looks confused. The Countess then places her hand on Linda's neck, which startles her, before sliding her hand back down inbetween her breasts. The Countess sinking to her knees, brings Linda down to the floor with her, where she removes her top.

They then begin to make love.

After a while of making love, she then bites into Linda's neck.

The next day, Linda wakes up on the bedroom floor naked. She finds a black dress on the floor and puts it one. She goes downstairs looking for the Countess, calling her name Nadine. Leaving the house she finds Nadine, floating in the swimming pool naked. This proves too much for her and she faints.

Elsewhere a woman is having a fit. Doctor enters the room, calling the woman Agra. He picks her up off the floor, sitting her down in a chair, still screaming he slaps her round the fce a couple of times. Carming down she says she can feel the influence of a woman, who will be soon visiting her and she wants the doctor's help to keep her with her. He agrees and leaves her.

The doctor goes and sees his boss, Doctor Seward, he asks him to come and visit Agra, because she has had another fit.

Doctor Seward goes and visits Agra. He asks her about the woman that she says is coming for her, she tells him she is the Queen of the Night.

Linda wakes up to find herself in a room with a man sitting at a table, she asks where is she, but the man just gets up and leaves the room, followed by Doctor Seward who enters the room. Again she asks where is she, he replies that she is at his private clinic. He asks her name, but she can not remember who she is. He asks her where is she from and what happened. She does not know or remember anything.

Linda's boyfriend Omar makes his way over to Doctor Seward's clinic, in answer to an advertisment about a girl found on the beach. Doctor Seward questions him about his relationship with his girlfriend. He then says that Omar can go and see the girl. Omar is shown into the room, at first Linda does not seem to reconise him. Later on she is released into his charge and explains as best as she can about what happened, which is only being on a boat and a dead woman floating in a swimming pool.

The Countess is lying on a bed, remembering her past, telling it to Morpho.

She was in her parent's house, maybe one or two hundred years ago, she was very young and alone. Watching from her window, she saw soldiers looting and raping women in the streets. They forced their way in to her parent's house, grabbed her. She struggled against them, crying out, when Count Dracula appeared. He stuck his knife into the soldier lying on top of her, killing him. Dracula then whispered to her, "I will take all your suffering away." He then began to visit her every night drinking her blood. When he realized that she was losing her life, he initiated her into the society of vampires. Because of the rape she hates men, but many have been captivated by her, just like women, whom she prefers. She bewitches them, making them loose their identity, but now she has met Linda and she is in danger of losing her identity. So she must now do what Dracula did to her and make Linda a vampire.

At the Istanbul Hilton, Linda and Omar are in bed making love.

After they have made love, the Countess calls to Linda, waking her up. As if in a trance she gets up and gets dressed. She leaves the hotel and walks to a castle. She enters and goes up the stairs to a room where the Countess is waiting.

The Countess goes over to a shelf and retrieves a large glass goblet full of blood. She drinks from it first and then offers it to Linda.

Which she accepts and drinks from.

The Countess places the goblet back on the shelf and asks Linda if she knew she has just drunk blood. Linda says nothing, but walks over to her. The Countess tells her tha she has now become a vampire and that she will protect her. She then says "Kovec nihe trekatsch." Which Linda replies and then kisses her.

Linda then begins to make love to the Countess.

Meanwhile in Doctor Seward's clinic, Agra is feeling very aroused and is playing with a falic looking clown.

The next day, Linda takes Omar to Doctor Seward, because he has lost a lot of blood. They are interupted by his assistant, who informs him that Agra is having another fit. Doctor Seward invites Linda to accompaney him.

Going into his office he tells Linda that Omar is not in any danger from vampires, but she is. She tells him about her experiences. He tells her he can help her, if she wants his help. She replies that she does. He tells her that she must either split the head in two with an axe or piece it with a spike.

In Agra's room Doctor Seward enters to find her rolling around on the floor.

She tells him that the infelunce of the Countess has gone and now she feels empty. Then she stops and calms down, for the Countess has returned as she will visit her, so she can meet Doctor Seward.

Later on Omar has made a full recovery. He is worried about Linda, she acting very strange. Doctor Seward says that there is nothing to worry about.

As Omar leaves the clinic, Agra calls out to him, she has escaped from her room. She tells him that he must go to the Countess in her house in Uskalan, up in the mountains. Just then Doctor Seward and his assisstant arrive and take Agra back to her room.

Back at the hotel Omar discovers the room empty. Checking with reception, he discovers that Linda had checked out the day before, not saying where she was going.

Linda has returned to the Plaj Hotel. Trying to enter the back way she is surpised by Memmet, who attacks her and knocks her out.

Meanwhile at the night club, Omar turns up. He is seen by Morpho. He is just in time to catch the Countess' show. This time the Countess can not contain herself and she bites the naked womans neck, feasting on her blood.

That night at Doctor Seward's clinic, Dr. Seward is studing. His assistant comes in to bid him good night and leaves. After a while Doctor Seward leaves his study, crosses the hall and stops at the bottom of the stairs as the clock strikes twelve. He then ascends the stairs only to stop half way and looks down into the hall. Standing there is the Countess. He asks what she wants, she tells him that she has come to kill him. Tells her she will not succeed and starts to resite a prayer, which makes her back away in fear. She calls for Morpho, who appears at the top of he stairs and attacks Doctor Seward.

In Agra's room she is getting aroused, when the Countess enters her room. She has come to say goodbye to her.

The next day Linda's psychologist is visted by Omar, he is worried that Linda is in the hands of the killers of Doctor Seward and he also witnessed the murder of the dancer by the Countess. He tells the psychologist that he knows where the Countess lives, so they decide to investigate.

Linda wakes up bound to a chair in the wine-cellar of the Plaj Hotel and sees Memmet approaching her with a saw in his hands. It transpires that his wife was Agra and she went to visit the Countess and beame bewitched by her. In loosing her he has gone mad and believes that now he must kill every woman who he comes into contact with, thereby they will love him as he loves them, as he drinks their blood. He unties Linda's legs, but she tries to kick him, so he shows her the body of his last victim, leaning against a wall covered in blood. She tells him that she wants to enjoy giving him love by enjoying the pain he wants to inflect on her, but first he has to untie her. As he unties her, she picks up the saw he has left unattended and rises it up above his head.

And brings it down on his neck.

At the Countess' castle Omar and the doctor arrive. They enter the building, making their way up the stairs. The Countess is aware of their presence and sends Morpho after them. They then escape in the doctor's car.

The Countess is walking around the streets of Istanbul.

She makes her way back to the house on the island. Linda arrives at the house asking Nadine to open the house for her, in the end she forces her way in. She finds Nadine lying on a bed looking ill, she asks her what the matter is, she says that the end has come for her. Linda asks if there is anything she can do. The Countess replies that there is. Linda has to give her some of her blood, but Linda does not want to do that. The Countess asks her if she wants to leave her. Linda says that it must end as she bites into the Countess' neck and drinks her blood.

Morpho witness' this.

While at Doctor Seward's clinic Agra feels the death of the Countess.

Linda decides that she does not want to be a vampire, so before the Countess dies she produces a spike and rams it into her head, spurting blood all over her face.

Morpho feeling that there is something wrong runs over to the house. He runs into the bedroom, grabs hold of Linda, throws her to the floor. Seeing that the Countess is dead, he gives her a kiss. Removing the spike he then stabs himself in the heart.

The doctor and Omar arrive at the house, to fin it empty apart from Linda,, sitting on the flor in shock.

The film is properly Franco's masterpiece. Coming after COUNT DRACULA and THE DEVIL CAME FROM AKASAVA, it is his best film at this time, but it is also a wonderful performance from Soledad Miranda and Ewa Stromberg. In a lot of ways, I would say that this fim influenced DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971), VAMPYRES (1975) and THE HUNGER (1983).

The DVD is the Second Sight release from 2000, along with a restored print in widescreen, it also contains a traile and a photo gallery of mainly behind the scenes images.

You can buy the DVD from Amazon.co.uk by clicking the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vampyros-Lesbos-DVD-Soledad-Miranda/dp/B00004Y8E1/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344772237&sr=1-1-spell

DER TEUFEL KAM AUS AKASAVA aka THE DEVIL CAME FROM AKASAVA (1970)

Jess Franco's thirty-sixth film was DER TEUFEL KAM AUS AKASAVA aka THE DEVIL CAME FROM AKASAVA. It was written by Paul Andre, Arne Elsholtz, Ladislas Fodor and Jess Franco, based on the story "The Akasava" by Edgar Wallace, it was produced by Artur Brauner, the music was written by ManfredHubler and Siegfried Schwab, it was filmed in Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain in Eastmancolour. It was released on 5th March 1971 in West Germany, it made ESP 6,802,647 in Spain and it starred Fred Williams as Rex Forrester, Susann Korda (aka Soledad Miranda) as Jane Morgan, Horst Tappert as Dr. Andrew Thorrsen, Ewa Stroemberg as Ingrid Thorrsen, Siegfried Schurenberg as Sir Philip, Walter Rilla as Lord Kingsley, Paul Muller as Dr. Henry, Blandine Ebinger as Lady Abigail Kingsley, Howard Vernon as Valet Humphrey and Jess Franco as Tino Celli.

The film is dedicated to Soledad Miranda, because after completing filming of this film, the producer Artur Brauner asked Jess Franco to arrange a meeting between Soledad Miranda and himself, so he could offer her a multi-film deal, that would make her a major European film star. It was on the way to this meeting that Soledad had her car crash and died.

This is the first of four films which were released postumusley, between 1971 and 1974.

The film opens with a man in a radiation suit doing excovation work in a cave. He finds a stone, which he places in a lead lined case. Upon leaving the cave he is shot, but he manages to make his escape to a waiting car, where he is helped inside and driven to the home of his employer Prof. Forrester.

The man tells Forrester that he has found the stone, that they are looking for. Hearing the news, he tells the man that he will go and get a doctor to see him. As he leaves he tells and assistant of his to keep an eye on the injured man, while he goes and gets help from Doctor Thorrsen.

While he is gone, someone enters the injured mans room and opens the lead lined case, where upon the stone within emits and bright glow, which causes the man great pain.

Professor Forrester arrives at Doctor Thorrsen's, were he is greeted by the doctor's wife. He tells her that it is urgent that the doctor comes to his home, she tells him that he will be there as soon as he has finished with his patient.

He returns to his home, to find that his assistant has gone missing, the injured man has been killed and the stone has been stolen.

As he drives away from his home, the assassin that shot at the man, now takes aim at the Professor.

Later on Doctor Thorrsen and his wife are helping the police with their enquiries, because the professor's car has been found wrecked and there is a trail of blood leading into the jungle. A man arrives by the name of Irving Lambert, he is the British Consul for the area. The British Government are concerned for the well being of Professor Forrester.

Meanwhile in London at the Institute of Tropical Research, in Professor Forrester's office, someone is breaking in. After searching for a while, they find his safe, but unknown to them, there is already someone in the room, (who looks a bit like Alfred Hitchcock in profile), who knifes them in the back.

The next day the police are investigating the murder and break-in at the Professor's office. While there the investigating officer receives a telephone call from a woman in a telephone box.

Later on he visits a brothel called Chez Jackie, were he asks for a Miss Jane. The Madame goes to see if she is free, leaving the man in the hands of Tinkybell, one of the girls. Lucky for the man, Jane is able to see him stright away.

He enters the room and is greeted by Miss Jane, who is representing MI6. The investigator is not happy having to meet her in a brothel, incase his wife, Lady Philip, finds out. Jane revels that the man killed in Forrester's office, was one of their agents. Jane hears a noise and tells Sir Philip to join her in the bed.

It appears that the stone that killed one of Professor Forrester's assistant emits a strange form of radiation.

Sir Philip goes and visits and old friend of his, who is also an old friend of Professor Forrester. He asks him to send in an unoffical way someone to Akasava to investigate what has been going on.

At Heathrow airport Jane hears an announcement for a Mr. Forrester to report to the bar for a telephone call. She follows the man who responds to the announcement. The announcement that the flight to Mombassa is now borading, prompts Jane and Mr. Forrester to board the flight.

In Mombassa a man (its Jess Franco!) is waiting for Mr. Forrester. When Mr. Forrester makes himself known to the man, he introduces himself as Tino Celli,  a friend of his Uncles, the Professor.

Mr. Forrester notices that Jane is having trouble hiring a car and offers her a lift, which she refuses, saying that she would rather get a taxi. After a while of not being successful in geting a taxi either, Forrester offers her a lift, which this time she excepts and introduces herself as Jane Morgan. While this ha all been goin on, they have been observed by two men, one in the airport and the other in a car parked outside.

Latter on they take a boat.

They arrive at the hotel and check in. They discover that their rooms are next door, which pleases Forrester. Upon entering her room she discovers that the British Counsul, Irving Lambert is waiting for her.

Jane takes a shower while being debriefed by Lambert. Her cover is that of an exotic dancer at the Red Rose Night Club.

She gives a dance in a black string dress.

While being watched by Forrester and Tino. When she finishs her dance, she goes over to them only for Dr. Thorrsen's wife Ingrid to intervine and invite Forrester to have a dance with her, which he accepts, anoying Jane, so when Tino askes if she would like a drink, she looks at him like he has stood in something and walks off.

At the hotel, Lambert is lying on a bed reading a copy of Time Magazine dated 22nd June 1970, when he hears a noise coming from outside the door. He gets up and takes a pistol from its holder, lying flat against the wall, he watches as the door slowly opens. In walks a bald headed man, in a black suit, one of the men who watched Forrester and Jane arrive at the airport.

As he enters the room, Lambert strikes out at him, (why did he not shoot him?), they start to fight around the room, with the bald man getting the upper hand. With Lambert caught in a head lock, he starts to break his neck, when a gun is placed to the back of his head and he is shot dead by Jane.

In the room next door, Forrester enters with Ingrid.

Jane deceides how to get rid of the body, they will take it out down the stairs, via the back way, however as they go pass Tino's room he notices them.

Meanwhile in Forrester's room, he and Ingrid are getting very close, when Ingrid happens to look out of the window and shes the body being carried by Jane and Lambert.

When they make it to the bottom of the stairs, Lambert tells Jane to stay with the body, while he goes and gets a car.

Waiting with the body, Jane notices a policman on patrol is coming their way, so she makes out that the body is her boyfriend, who is drunk.

The car arrives and Jane puts the body in the back and the car drives off. Just then Lamberts comes from the carpark and tells Jane that his car has been stolen. Jane and Lambert are shocked when they realise that the body has been taken by someone they do not know.

It turns out that it is Tino, that has taken the body, to be disposed of in the jungle.

The next day Forrester and Ingrid go to her husbands clinic. He asks her if she knows why he is there.

She replies that it is because he is trying to find his uncle the professor. She invites him up to the clinic, where she shows him into a room full of people, heavily taned and completley comotose.

She then shows him into their private appartments, where her husband is freshing up. They talk about Professor Forrester, what he was researching and the fact that he had found a rare stone, that could change any metal into gold.

Meanwhile at the hotel, Jane has just had a shower, when she can hear voices coming from the room next door. She goes outside and listens, when she is caught by Tino. He has been talking to Lambert about how it was he who had got rid of the body the night before. Lambert introduces Tino to Jane as being Major Celli of the Italian Sectret Service. Tino is suspicious of Doctor Thorrsen.

At Doctor Thorrsen's, Ingrid continues her seduction of Forrester in the garden, when he is shot. She takes him back inside and her husband is able to extract the bullet, but it now means that his leg is broken. Dr. Thorrsen suggests that he is given a sedative for the pain.

Once Forrester is unconscious, Ingrid asks if Forrester's leg is really that bad. Torrsen says it is not, but if they are to transport the stone to London, then wraped in plaster around Forrester leg, would be the best way to transport it.

That night Jane is back at the Red Rose Club dancing.

Into the club come Dr Thorrsen and Ingrid. They have been invited by Jane, who seems to know them of old, however Dr. Thorrsen seems to worry about this and at the first opportunity leaves, leaving his wife with Jane.

Lambert and Tino are making their way over to Dr. Thorrsen's. Tino tells Lambert to wait, while he tries to get in.

He makes it in. While looking around the door to the vault opens. Drawing his gun he enters the vault, only for the door to close on him, locking him in. Trying to open the door, someone activates the stone, bathing him in its light.

Outside Lambert hears a shot. He turns and runs away, only to be shot in the arm. He makes it back to the car and drives off.

Back at the hotel, Jane has got ready for bed, when she hears the sound of someone approaching her room. It is the wounded Lambert. She helps him into a chair, he tells her what he and Tino have been up to, when someone shots him in the back. Seeing that he is dead, she jumps up, crosses over to the door and swings it open with her gun pointing in front off her.

To be confronted by Forrester. He knocks the gun to one side, telling her to be sensible. He sees that Lambert is dead and takes her into his room. In his room he confronts her, by telling her that he is going to London at 8 am. They both admit that they are attracted too each other. Jane is worried about what she will do with Lambert body, but Forrester says that he has good friends who will deal with it. Jane askes if that includes the Ingrid. He tells her that it does not, because she going to London with him. This anoys Jane, who goes to slap him, but he stops her by giving her a kiss.

In London, Forrester and Ingrid arrive at Doctor Henry's clinic. At the clinic Forrester has the cast removed from his leg by Dr. Henry, however a patient given the number 77 has escaped and can not be found .

A heavily taned man is wondering the streets of London in a dazed condition.

Forrester arrives back at a hotel, to be confronted by Jane, holding a gun.

She demands to know who he is, because Professor Forrester did not have a nephew. In trying to prove his innocence, he distracts her long enough to wrestles her too the ground.

He then demands to know who she is. She tells him she will never tell him, which makes him realise that she is working for MI6, so he reveals that he works for Scotland Yard. They agree to work together.

Later on that day, Forrester, Jane and Sir Philip have a meeting on how they can get their enemies to show their hand. They decide that if they put out the story that Professor Forrester's nephew was left some important research notes, that should intice them. Sir Philip leaves, leaving Forrester and Jane on their own to make love.

At Doctor Henry's Ingrid surprises him, only to be surprised by the appearence of her husband. Who wants to know why she is not with Forrester and if she does not find him, he will reveal that he found her in a brothel in Monbassa. She leaves and he tells Dr. Henry that there has been a change of plan and he telephones the person he is dealing with, to tell them he wants twice the amount of money.

Sir Philip goes and sees Lord Kingsley to give him an update.

Meanwhile in London, patient 77 is still wondering the streets.

At the hotel, Forrester finds a women in his room, who is Chinese and called Sue. She tells him his life is in danger and if he goes to the Chinese resturant in Down Street, she will reveal all.

Later that day he goes to the Chinese resturant. He is shown to a table, where he is joined by Sue. She tells him that she has been asked to make him an offer. It is that they will offer him $500,000 for his uncle's information and the location of where to find the stones. If he agrees, then he has to go to Wong's at 29 Lincoln Street.

Unknown to either party they are being listened to by Lord Kingsley and his helper Humphrey. Kingsley instructs Humphrey to take care of it.

Forrester arrives and Wongs and goes up stairs, where he finds his contact sitting at the table, bolt upright, with a bullet wound to his head. Sue then enters and says they have to get out of there, just as a knife is thrown into her abdomen. Forrester rushes over to a screen, pulling it back the assassin, punches him on the jaw and flees up a fire escape. Forrester pursues him and using the cane is walking with, trips him up. They have a fight, but the assassin is too strong for him and escapes.

At Doctor Henry's, Doctor Thorrsen arrives with the case containing the stone. Doctor Henry makes a call to a booking agent for two tickets to Hong Kong, when the door bursts open to revel Humphrey holding a pistol. He shoots Doctor Henry and then Doctor Thorrsen.

In a garden, patient 77 is walking towards a house.

Lord Kingsley is sitting at his desk, unknowing that patient 77 is walking towards his house. The french doors open and patient 77 enters the study. He approaches Lord Kingsley, puts his hands around his neck, begins to throttle him, when he gives a violent jerk and falls to the floor. It is revealed that he has been speared in the back by Lady Kingsley. She asks her husband who the assailant is. He reveals that it is Doctor Forrester, who had found out that he wanted the stone so that he could gain absolute power.

Humphrey arrives at hotel room 801, he enters,drawing his pistol, he makes his way to the bedroom, where Jane is sleeping on her front naked, beside her in the bed is the figure of a man. Humphrey goes over to the bed and shoots the figure in the head. Pulling back the covers, he discovers that it is a dummy and Jane shoots him. He managers to get out of the way, but Forrester is waiting and hits him, but he managers to escape out of the hotel into his car, with Jane and Forrester following him in theirs.

At Lord Kingsley's, Ingrid Thorrsen is telling how she discovered the bodies of the husband and Doctor Henry.

Meanwhile Jane and Forrester are pursuing Humphrey, when he pulls up outside Lord Kingsley's and enters the grounds.

Lord and Lady Kingsley are saying goodbye to Ingrid, when Humphrey enters. Scared, Ingrid goes to leave, when Lady Kingsley produces the spear, holding it to her neck. Lord Kingsley gets out of his wheelchair, revealing that there is nothing wrong with his legs. He goes over to Ingrid and knocks her out.

In the grounds, Forrester and Jane approach the house. Looking though the french windows, they see Humphrey and Lady Kingsley carring the Ingrid. They deceide to enter the house, but by the front door. They ring the bell and ask to see Lord Kingsley, his wife lets them in. They meet Lord Kingsley and seem to think they have made a mistake, seeing that he is in a wheelchair. The make the appoligies and go to leave. As they are leaving, Forrester notices a drop of blood on the floor, this has come from Humphrey who was injured when Jane shot at him, who is standing at the top of the stairs watching what is going on, after tying Ingrid up in an upstairs room. And then he sees a second drop add to it. This alams Lord Kingsley, who leaps out of his wheelchair, just as Ingrid falls over upstairs, prompting Humphrey to run down the stairs. Forrester pulls out his gun and shoots, while Jane hits Lady Kingsley.

Lord Kingsley hearing all this makes a break though the french windows, but Forrester sees this and shoots him. Seeing the cause is lost, Humphrey jumps out of a window, carrying the case containing the stone, while Ingrid cries out for help.

Humphrey makes his escape through the garden, into a nearby field, where there is an airplane waiting, which he boards and flies, but unknown to him the catches on the case are not secure and the motion of the flight is making the lid wobble. Coming undone it exposes Humphrey to the stone, making him crash the plane.

As Forrester returns to his hotel room he is greated by a young blond woman wearing a towel, she says that he is very good with women and has knowledge about a certain stone, as she drops her towel.

The DVD that I watched was the Oracle release. This is Jess, once again trying to do his version of a spy film, which works quite well, I would say that it is on a parr with THE GIRL FROM RIO, if not slightly better, with not too many stupid moments. It is such a shame that this was to be the last film that Soledad Miranda was to make before her untimely death a month later.

On the DVD there are not many extras, only a trailer and a web link, which does not work anymore. Not surprising seeing that the DVD was released in 2003.

The DVD can be bought from Amazon.co.uk, by clicking on the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Devil-Came-From-Akasava/dp/B0001XQDZ2/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344586168&sr=1-1-spell

COUNT DRACULA aka NACHTS, WENN DRACULA ERWACHT (1970)

Jess Franco's thirty-fifth film was COUNT DRACULA aka NACHTS, WENN DRACULA ERWACHT. Written by Jess Franco and Harry Alan Towers as Peter Welbeck, based on Dracula by Bram Stoker, produced by Harry Alan Towers, music composed by Bruno Nicolai, it was film in Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain in Eastmancolour, it runs for 98 mins, in UK 97 mins and in Sweden 91 mins. It made ESP 41,278,656 in Spain, Franco's most successful film. It starred Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, Herbert Lom as Prof. Abraham Van Helsing, Klaus Kinski as R. M. Renfield, Soledad Miranda as Lucy Westernra, Maria Rohm as Mina Murray, Fred Williams as Jonathan Harker, Paul Muller as Dr. John Seward, Jack Taylor as Quincey Morris and Jess Franco as Van Helsing's Servant.

The film opens with a bell being rung to inform passengers it is time to board a train. A young man boards the train. In his carriage there is another man traveling, he asks him if the train stops at Bestwitz, which he infroms him it does. To make conversation he informs him that he is a lawyer traveling to Bestwitz to meet a client, by the name of Count Dracula. This make the other man very uneasy.

Arriving in Betwitz the young man and his traveling companion, make their way to a hotel for the night. At the hotel the young man is informed by the owner that everything has been prepared by the Count.

During the night he is disturbed by the owners wife, informing him that the following night will be St. George's Night, when all the evil of the world will be let loose. (So a bit like Halloween.)

That night the young man along with his travelling companion board a coach. During the journey he asks how far it is until the Borgas Pass. He is told, they should reach it by night fall, (even though it is already night!) And then onto Count Dracula's Castle, but his companion has no idea. At Borgas Pass, the young man disembarks from the coach and is met by another. On the journey the coach is followed by a pack of wolves, (well, alright, a pack of German Shepherds.) After a while the coach halts, the driver disembarks and silently commands the wolves to depart. He returns to the coach and resumes the journey.

The coach arrives at Count Dracula's Castle, where the young man disembarks and knocks on the main door and is greeted by Count Dracula.

Showing the young man into his room, he notices that there is no reflection of his host in the mirror. Latter on, over dinner, Dracula and the young man go over some plans for a house in London, England. While going doing so, the young man drops some photo's out of his wallet.

Intrigued, Count Dracula, asks him who the women are.

He is informed that they are his fiance and her friend Miss Lucy Westenra. After having a discussion about Count Dracula's family past and the reasons for him moving to England. The young man, whose name is Jonathan Harker, is shown to his room. After looking around the room for a while, he decides to explore, only to find that his door has been locked. After a while he realizes that he is defeated and lies down on his bed to rest.

Outside the castle a woman comes running up to the gates, crying and screaming that she wants her baby back, but receives no reply.

Harker wakes up, to find himself in a crypt, surrounded by three beautiful women.

Just as they are about to feast on him, Count Dracula appears, commanding them to step back and leave him alone. For he is his alone. They ask what do they have and Count Dracula points to a bag in the corner, containing the crying sounds of a baby. They descend onto it hungrily.

Harker wakes again, this time back in his room, wondering if he has had a bad dream. Looking out of the window, he sees Count Dracula, standing on the battlements transforming into a bat. Walking past the mirror, he notices to puncture wounds on his neck. Realizing that he can escape out of the window, he does so and makes his way down to the crypt. Here he discovers packing cases full of earth and a tomb marked DRACULA.

He lifts the lid, to find the body of Count Dracula. Tormented by what he has seen, he flees from the castle by jumping out of a window.

Some time latter, Harker wakes up in a hospital, with a doctor sitting by his bed. The doctor introduces himself as Doctor Seward and they are in Professor Van Helsing's private clinic, just outside London. Harker asks how he got there and Doctor Seward tells him, that his body was found in a mountain stream 200 km from Budapest.

Harker starts to talk about what he witnessed at Castle Dracula, by Doctor Seward, thinking that he is having delusions, tranquilizes him. Just then Professor Van Helsing enter's and asks if there has been any change. Doctor Seward mention that Harker mentioned Count Dracula. This startles Van Helsing, just as there is cry from some where else in the clinic, Doctor Seward mentions that it must be Renfield and goes to see to him, leaving Van Helsing in the room with Harker. Van Helsing goes over to Harker and looks at his neck, too see the two puncture marks.

In a padded cell, Renfield throws his food at the wall and starts to make patterns in it. He then goes over to a snuff box he keeps and takes the bodies of two fly's out, of which one he starts to eat, when Doctor Seward enters. Worried, Renfield climbs up into the window and sits there looking out.

The next day Harkers fiance and Lucy arrive in London, at the train station they are met by one of Van Helsing's servants (its Jess Franco!) who says that he has been sent to collect them.

They arrive at the clinic.

Harker's fiance is show into his room, she asks what is wrong with him and Doctor Seward, says that they think he might of had a mental breakdown, at which point the cries of Renfield are hear, which proves too much for Lucy, who faints.

During the night a voice can be heard calling Lucy's name, while a bat flies outside the window. Lucy wakes as if in a trance and makes her way over to the door and goes out. Harker's fiance enters Lucy's room to find it empty.

Lucy opens the french doors into the garden.

Lucy is followed by Harker's fiance out into the garden, where she sees Dracula feasting on her blood.

The next day, Lucy is back in bed, being examined by Doctor Seward, he notices the two puncture wounds on her neck and mentions to Harker's fiance that she has lost a lot of blood. Asking if she has any family, he is informed that she has a fiance, by the name of  Quincey Morris.

Latter that day, Morris arrives at Van Helsing's clinic, where he is met by Doctor Seward. Asking what he can do for her, Van Helsing mentions that he can give her a transfusion of his blood.

That night Count Dracula again pays Lucy a visit.

Hearing a noise come from Lucy's room, Morris rushes in to find her on the floor, noticing the window open he closes it and then places Lucy in the bed.

Harker has left his room and started to wonder the corridors of Van Helsing's clinic, in so doing so he comes across Renfield's room, where he is spotted by Van Helsing's servant and taking into Van Helsings study, where he is in conference with his fiance and Morris.

That night, Renfield is once again looking out of his window.

In the house that Count Dracula is renting, he awakes in his coffin, opens the french windows and appears to communicate with Renfield, forcing him to break the bars and his window and jump out.

Later on Harker's fiance is looking after Lucy, when she hears a noise and goes to investigate, giving Count Dracula the chance to visit her again.

Just then Harker's fiance walks back into the room and catches them at it, so too speak.

Count Dracula flees, leaving Lucy dead. With Lucy's death, but still having Harker's fiance alive, galvanizes Van Helsing into action. He calls a meeting in his study with Harker, Doctor Seward and Morris. Telling them of the legend of Dracula.

Lucy is laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery.

The next day, some children are playing the park near by. A little girl is walking around the park, when she meets Lucy.

The next day Van Helsing sees in the paper that a child has been found dead near the church, knowing this is the deed of the vampire Lucy, he informs Harker and Morris that, that night he wants them to accompany him to Lucy's grave.

He takes them to the crypt and opens her coffin, to revel that it is empty. They wait through out the night and at dawn they return to the crypt, to find Lucy's coffin occupied. Van Helsing takes out a stake, a mallet and proceeds to hammer the stake into Lucy's heart, he then tells Morris to decapitate her with a spade.

Back at the clinic Refield wakes up after his fall.

Doctor Seward, tries to get him too relax. Renfield revels that Count Dracula has bought the house next door to Van Helsing's clinic.

Van Helsing sends Harker and Morris to the house, while Harker's fiance asks to see Renfield. After leaving Van Helsing he has a fit.

Harker, Doctor Seward and Morris enter Count Dracula's house. There they find a strange collection of stuffed animals. They discover that a case has been moved. Just then the stuffed animals begin to come to life, (well lots of close up zooms and someone moving them by hand off camera).

They are being controlled by an amazingly young Count Dracula.

Harker's fiance enters Renfield's cell.

As she nears him, Count Dracula orders Renfield to kill her, he reaches out and grabs her by the neck, twisting her onto the bed.

In the house, Harker raises a crucifix to protect himself, in doing so this breaks Dracula's hold on Renfield, saving his fiance's life and stopping the assault by the stuffed animals.

Later that night Harker's fiance goes to the opera, while Dracula walks through the streets of London and is seen by Harker, but Morris dismisses it. Harker and Morris have joined Van Helsing, only to be informed that Mina, Harker's fiance has left Van Helsing's clinic and gone to the opera, without anyone's permission.

At the opera, in a private box, Mina is attacked by Count Dracula.

Harker and Morris race to the opera house and discover Mina on the floor, with wounds to her neck.

Down at the harbour, Count Dracula employs the services of ships captain to sail him to Varner.

Using the physic link between Dracula and Renfield, Doctor Seward is able to discover that Dracula is to sell to Varner. Van Helsing works out that it will take Dracula two weeks to sail to Varner with his cargo, but if Harker and Morris take a faster route, it would only take them a week and then they could every grave unusable by Dracula.

This last physic link has been too much for Refield and he has died.

At Van Helsing's clinic, Dracula pays him a visit. Van Helsing prevents Dracula from getting nearer to Mina, by inscribing a crucifix on the floor of the living room with a red hot poker.

At Castle Dracula, Harker and Morris have arrived and enter the crypt. Making their way over to the coffins of the three vampiric women, they open each one, staking and beheading as they go. They then make their way to Dracula's tomb and place a crucifix within.

Making their way outside the watch a procession of people bring Dracula back to the castle. Attacking them with boulders, they flee, leaving Dracula unattended. Harker and Morris force open Dracula's crate and set him on fire.

Count Dracula is another one of the films that Jess Franco made with Harry Alan Towers, that is really very good. Featuring a few members of the same cast as their previous effort THE BLOODY JUDGE, this one also stands up very well. Some times the effects are a bit ropey, like the attack by the stuffed animals, but over all it is not a bad adaptation of Bram Stokers' novel.

The DVD that I watched was the German release by Kinowelt under the title NACHTS, WENN DRACULA ERWACHT. It is a 2 disc set, which allows you to watch the film in English, thank God and  feature a wealth of extras. On disc 1 you get an audio commentary by Fred William, Beloved Count with Jess Franco, Interview with Jack Taylor, Jess Franco over Kalus Kinski, Star info on Soledad Miranda, a photo gallery, international plates, the restoration of the film and other films in the series.

On disc 2 you get an interview with Jess Franco, Christopher Lee Reads Bram Stoker's Dracula and the German Super 8 version of NACHTS WENN DRACULA ERWACHT.

Harry Towers wanted to make an adaptation of Bram Stokers Dracula and asked Jess Franco to direct. He decided that the only person who could play Dracula was Christopher Lee, which pleased him, because it meant that he could play him in the way, that he should be portrayed and not in the direction he had gone with the Hammer films.

The film was shot in Barcelona, Spain, with a second unit filming the exterior shots of the castle in France. A lot of the film was shot in and around General Franco's Palace. Jess Franco was told by the producers to compromise the novel, but he decided that if he could get Christopher Lee too film the novel as complete as possible, then the producers might have a hard time editing the film.

Klaus Kinski did not want to appear in a Dracula film, so Harry Alan Towers gave him a script with no reference to Dracula and had him playing a mad man in a cell. When it came to the scene with him attacking Maria Rohm, he said to her "Maria. I think that bastard of a husband of yours, has got me in a Dracula picture." Maria replied "Oh, no no. You are mistaken Klaus."

Originally Franco wanted to cast Vincent Price in the role of Van Helsing, but Vincent Price was busy making SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970), so instead he went for his second choice, Herbert Lom. The scene where Van Helsing and Count Dracula meet, was shot with neither actor present, because Herbert Lom filmed all his scenes before Christopher Lee arrived.

While Jess Franco was making COUNT DRACULA, a Catalan filmmaker Pere Portabella, made an experimental black & white film called VAMPIR CUADECUC (1970), which is a film within a film, recording the making of Franco film.

The film can be watched on Youtube in full by clicking below.

The DVD can by bought from Amazon.co.uk, (please note that it is the German version), by clicking the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bram-Stokers-Count-Dracula-uncut/dp/B006RT5CWO/ref=sr_1_6?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344463067&sr=1-6