Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 25, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection.

According to the typically semi-reliable IMDb, Christopher Lee amassed an almost astounding 282 acting credits over the course of his long and venerable career. If many younger viewers tend to understandably associate him with films like The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy and/or Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and if somewhat more seasoned audience members may link him to his long run of so-called "Hammer Horror" outings which account for over twenty of those acting credits and include films like The Curse of Frankenstein, there is obviously by dint of the sheer number included on the IMDb's list a veritable glut of roles with which even diehard Lee fans may not be all that familiar. Severin Films has come to the rescue of Lee fans on the hunt for some rarer titles featuring the actor, amassing five feature films and all the surviving episodes of Lee's anthology series Theatre Macabre, along with a treasure trove of supplementary material.

Crypt of the Vampire is ostensibly adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, the same source material that inspired Vampyr, though it perhaps has a bit more in common with another film ostensibly drawn from the same source, Blood and Roses , at least in terms of offering some at times erotically charged subtext. Crypt of the Vampire is also a relatively rare chance to see Christopher Lee as the good guy rather than the scheming villain, in this case a count named Karnstein who is trying to get to the bottom of a presumed family curse which may have something to do with an ancient ancestor, but which more pressingly seems to have subsumed Karnstein's pretty daughter Laura (Adriana Ambesi, billed as Audry Amber).

In just one of the film's hoary plot tropes, Laura's dreams of victims of desanguination start to seemingly come true, but there are two other major subplots unfolding simultaneously along with this disturbing state of affairs. The first one involves the Karnsteins' maid, Nela (Nela Conjiu), who has certain cultish tendencies, and the other involves another young woman named Ljuba (Ursula Davis), who visits the Karnstein castle and who seems to have rather seriously caught the eye of a perhaps possessed Laura. It's this aspect that probably gives Crypt of the Vampire its biggest jolt of energy, as kind of quaintly titillating as the film ends up treating things, whereas a lot of the rest of the film, while undeniably moody, can seem kind of lethargic and in need of better pacing.

This is another film that Lee completists have probably struggled at times to actually see, though it may ultimately fall into a "the anticipation is greater than the realization" category once it's actually viewed. There are some really interesting elements at play at times here, with an almost drug infused ambience once Laura seems to be seriously entranced by Ljuba, but the film never totally explores some of its provocative subtexts, something that I guess can't really be blamed entirely on its production era, given that Blood and Roses preceded it. Part of the film's lore is that the screenplay was churned out in less than 24 hours after co-scenarists Tonino Valerii and Ernesto Gastaldi supposedly lied to a producer and said they had a finished product all ready to go, something that may account for a certain slapdash quality to the narrative that leaves some aspects underdeveloped and others kind of introduced only to be largely ignored.

Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Crypt of the Vampire is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. This is the sole feature not sourced from a negative in this set, with the keepcase's back cover stating a "2K scan from a fine grain 35mm master print". If the "competition" hadn't been so strong in this set, by which I mean the other feature films' presentations, this transfer would probably strike many as absolutely superior, and while it is very good, the difference in source elements is pretty discernable, with this presentation looking just a tad grittier and less well detailed, though arguably not by all that much. Detail levels are generally commendable throughout, even in some less than optimal lighting conditions, and some of the intentionally dark scenes offer nicely substantial blacks. There are moments of very slight crush when things like dark black hair is seen against shadowy backgrounds, but I was actually repeatedly struck by the nicely gradated tones in some of the darkest material. This has one of the rougher looking grain fields in the set, which is understandable due to the transfer's source, though things resolve very nicely throughout.

Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Crypt of the Vampire features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or Italian. There are trade offs no matter which track you choose in terms of which performers are obviously dubbed, though both tracks are obviously post looped and suffer from the dreaded "loose synch". Some of the music can sound like it's fluttering slightly at times in the highest registers, but otherwise both tracks provide good fidelity and clear accountings of dialogue. Optional English subtitles are available.

Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 3:56)

Crypt of the Vampire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crypt of the Vampire would at least make an interesting companion piece to anyone wanting to watch various adaptations of Carmilla (there are actually quite a few in addition to the two named above, including some wildly disparate efforts as Dracula's Daughter, The Vampire Lovers, The Unwanted, The Blood Spattered Bride and Lesbian Vampire Killers). That said, the film never quite "gets there" either in terms of any perceived vampire activity, or perhaps more saliently in its psychosexual ambitions. Lee is almost an afterthought at times, though it's fun to see him at this stage of his career as the hero of the tale. The video presentation here is very good, though it can't help but suffer a bit when compared to the other films in this set which were sourced from negatives. Both audio tracks are fine within their contexts of dubbed material. Sadly this disc doesn't offer much in the way of supplementary features, for those who are considering a purchase.