Review: Terror in the Crypt

AKA “Crypt of the Vampire”

 

The Karnstein family has been cursed for generations, with one family member sentenced to death for supposedly being a witch. Count Ludvig von Karnstein (Christopher Lee) is worried for his daughter Laura (Adriana Ambesi), who is plagued by nightmares involving blood-sucking. Could Laura be the next Karnstein in line to be cursed as some kind of sinister supernatural being? Jose Campos plays a young historian hired by the Count to uncover more of his family’s ancient secrets. Nela Conjiu plays family housekeeper Rowena, who might have some sinister secrets of her own. Also stopping by the family castle is beautiful young Lyuba (Ursula Davis), whom Laura takes an immediate and rather intense interest in.

 

An atmospheric 1964 vampire tale from director Camillo Mastrocinque (“An Angel for Satan” with Barbara Steele) that only works in fits and starts, and wastes Christopher Lee in a rather dull role. I guess he was happy to not be playing the vampire or villain for once, but he just doesn’t get enough to say or do here to make the difference worthwhile. Speaking of difference, this is a more vengeful witch-y depiction of the usual Karnstein vampire story, but that original approach only takes it so far with me because I prefer the sexy Sapphic vampire motif of other versions. The only character here of any interest is that of Laura, played by Adriana Ambesi. She’s a tortured soul afraid of who and what she supposedly is. I just wish Ambesi’s actual performance was better.

 

Aside from the always solid Lee, the only decent performance here is by Nela Conjiu as Dame Judith Anderson-esque housekeeper Rowena. The strength of the film is in its atmosphere which is somewhere in between Gothic and a trippy dream/nightmare deal. The final act offers up some wonderfully stormy and histrionic stuff I must say. The atmosphere is a whole lot more interesting than the plot or characters, outside of some pretty strong Sapphic undertones for 1964. Even then you have to deal with a cartoony clarinet music score by Carlo Savina (Mario Bava’s “Lisa and the Devil”). The piano-based elements of the score are effective, but every time that cheapo clarinet shit comes in, it makes me roll my eyes. Also eye-rolling is a dreadful cameo at the finale by a guy who seems to have modelled himself on Uncle Fester. It’s comically bad, I’m afraid.

 

Someday someone’s gonna make a great version of Carmilla. Hammer’s “The Vampire Lovers” was pretty good, probably the best to date. This Spanish-Italian co-production is sadly one of the more middling ones, I’m afraid. Most of the characters and performances failed to grab me, despite some nice atmosphere. More miss than hit, but not terrible outside of Christopher Lee’s haircut. The screenplay is by Tonino Valerii (who has directed a few spaghetti westerns like “Day of Anger”) and Ernesto Gastaldi (“Torso”, “The Horrible Dr. Hichcock”, and “The Whip and the Body”, co-starring Lee) loosely adapted from the aforementioned Sheridan Le Fanu novella.

 

Rating: C+

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