Vampyros Lesbos (4K UHD Review)
Director
Jesús FrancoRelease Date(s)
1971 (May 31, 2026)Studio(s)
Telecine Film/Fénix Films (Severin Films)- Film/Program Grade: N/A
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
Long before Jess Franco became known for his experimental and sexually-charged genre excursions, he slowly and deliberately wandered into them in 1967 with Succubus (aka Necronomicon: Geträumte Sünden). Vampyros Lesbos, released four years later, would be be one of his larger successes, but also the foundation of the lesbian vampire cycle of films in the 1970s, which would stretch further into the decades ahead.
Linda (Ewa Strömberg) becomes drawn to an exotic nightclub dancer and begins having frequent dreams about her. After consulting with her psychiatrist (Paul Müller) about it, her law firm sends her to a remote island to handle the account for Countess Nadine (Soledad Miranda), though she’s warned by a disturbed and dangerous man (Franco) to stay away. She arrives at the Countess’ beach house, realizing she’s the nightclub dancer that she’s been dreaming about. She makes love to the mysterious Countess, later waking up and under the care of Dr. Seward (Dennis Price), having no memory of her time with the Countess. Linda is then compelled by the Countess to come to her mansion, where she intends to make Linda a vampire, though Dr. Seward, familiar with the supernatural, and her concerned boyfriend Omar (Andrea Montchal), try to stop her. Also in the cast are Heidrun Kussin, Michael Berling, and José Martínez Blanco.
A very loose reworking of the original Dracula story, Vampyros Lesbos is truly the birth of the atypical Jess Franco film, which heightens sexual attitudes and content, but with an overtly sapphic disposition. It’s clearly a film with a story that’s concerned more about its female characters since their male counterparts take a backseat, especially Omar who’s mostly a non-character, showing up for a decidedly unsatisfactory ending. Without spoiling things, it sort of undermines the entire purpose of the story in the first place, being about two women coming together under supernatural circumstances. There’s also an outside element in the porter character, who’s doing some disturbing things behind closed doors. His character acts almost as a contrast to the Countess who also leaves a trail of bodies in her wake, but has more specific goals in mind other than torture and mutilation merely for the sake of it. In some ways, it feels like a meta commentary, as if to say that the porter’s actions would be more acceptable to audiences while the Countess and Linda’s beautiful and bloody affair isn’t. Or perhaps not.
It’s also a beautifully-photographed film with a memorable jazz-infused psychedelic soundtrack by Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab, with involvement from Franco. The beautiful Soledad Miranda had recently worked with Franco on Count Dracula just prior and would go on to appear in two more of his films (She Killed in Ecstasy and The Devil Came from Akasava) before her untimely death from a tragic car accident. In a way, it makes her character in Vampyros Lebsos more ethereal and sorrowful, especially in regards to her fate. When the film was originally released, it was a hit in Europe, and remains one of Franco’s most-discussed and most popular works.
Cinematographer Manuel Merino shot Vampyros Lesbos on 35mm film with spherical lenses, the results of which were processed photochemically, and finished at the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Severin Films debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the German version from the original camera negative featuring the French opening and closing title sequences. It has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a dual-layered BD-66 disc. The opening and closing titles, likely sourced from an interpositive, are the roughest with slight instability and frequent scratches and speckling. Other than that, this is a gorgeous and organic presentation that soaks up the darkness, as well as the light, with impressive textures and grain attenuation. The latter isn’t perfect, being more noticeable on skyline backdrops, but it’s fairly solid. Bitrates sit between 80 and 100Mbps most of the time with high levels of detail in every frame. The HDR grades truly support the overall palette, boosting the rich color, including bold swatches of red and blue, as well as beautiful skin tones and deep blacks. There are occasionally minor scratches, but nothing too intrusive as the image is remarkably clean. This is by far the most gorgeous and film-like Vampyros Lesbos has ever looked on home video.
Audio is included in German 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is obviously a little loose against the picture, but this is a very pleasant split-channel experience with plenty of support for the various elements, including dialogue. There’s also some nice push for the score and the music, as well, especially during the nightclub sequences. Occasionally there’s some mild distortion and sibilance, but it’s an otherwise problem-free track.
The Severin Films 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Vampyros Lesbos sits in a black Amaray case with a 1080p Blu-ray and an insert featuring new artwork by Wes Benscoter. Purchasing directly from Severin’s website will net you an exclusive limited slipcover featuring a still of Soledad Miranda against a black backdrop above the film’s title. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger
- Audio Commentary by Aaron AuBuchon, John Dickson, and Will Morris
- German Trailer (HD – 2:36)
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger
- Audio Commentary by Aaron AuBuchon, John Dickson, and Will Morris
- Vampyros Jesús (aka Interlude in Lesbos) (HD – 20:51)
- Fever Dracula (HD – 44:44)
- The Red Scarf Diaries (HD – 9:54)
- In the Land of Franco Part 12 (HD – 18:44)
- Sublime Soledad (SD – 20:23)
- Jess Is Yoda (HD – 2:44)
- German Opening Title Sequence (Upscaled SD – 1:26)
- German Trailer (HD – 2:36)
The first audio commentary features Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters of Darkness, who examines the film’s thematics and makes comparisons to Gothic horror and other lesbian vampire horror films, especially those made by Hammer Film Productions. She also delves into the idea of the “ennui vampire” and explores some of Jess Franco’s other productions in relation to Vampyros Lesbos. The second audio commentary features film professor Aaron AuBuchon of Webster University in St. Louis, and John Dickson and Will Morris of the Oscarbate Film Collective podcast. It’s a loose academic discussion of the many facets of Jess Franco’s work, with the commentators highlighting his obsession with voyeurism and his choices for performance and filmmaking in general. Both tracks work in tandem with each other, despite covering some of the same material, exploring the breadth of Franco.
Vampyros Jesús (originally titled Interlude in Lesbos on previous releases it was included with) is a 2015 interview with Jess Franco shot not long before his passing. He avidly discusses his working relationships and his appreciation for Soledad Miranda, as well as his love for personal expression in cinema and horror imagery. Fever Dracula is a new interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco, who delves deeply into the history of Vampyros Lesbos, offers an examination of its content, and considers this point in Jess Franco’s life and career. The Red Scarf Diaries interviews director Sean Baker about the profound influence that the work of Jess Franco has had on him and his work, specifically Anora. In the Land of Franco Part 12 is another entry in Severin’s ongoing series of Stephen Thrower and David Gregory traveling across Europe to find as many of Jess Franco’s filming locations as possible. Sublime Soledad features a 2015 interview with Soledad Miranda historian Amy Brown of soledadmiranda.com about the actress, her life, and her body of work. Jess Is Yoda is a brief interview outtake with Franco about his friendship with make-up artist Stuart Freeborn and his unknowing impact on the character of Yoda. Last is the German Opening Title Sequence and the German theatrical trailer.
Not carried over from Severin’s 2-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release is the shorter Spanish version of the film, which was included on a separate DVD, and a shorter interview with Stephen Thrower.
Severin’s UHD debut of Vampyros Lesbos, as well as She Killed in Ecstasy, brings more Franco to the 4K table for more clean and precise consumption than has been possible on home video prior. It’s a great release and belongs in every Franco fanatic’s library.
- Tim Salmons
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