Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 18, 2026

Jess Franco's "Vampyros Lesbos" (1971) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary by critics Aaron AuBuchon, John Dickson, and Will Morris; audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger; archival content with Jess Franco; recent program with critic Stephen Thrower; promotional materials; and more. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In a busy nightclub somewhere in Istanbul, a dark-haired beauty performs an exotic dance that captivates the imagination of the sexually frustrated blonde Linda Westinghouse (Ewa Strömberg, The Devil Came from Akasava). Later, Linda confesses to her psychiatrist that the dancer has frequently appeared in her dreams, and he suggests that she find herself a better lover.

Soon after, Linda is sent to the Kadidados Islands to assist Countess Nadine Carody (Soledad Miranda, She Killed in Ecstasy), who has recently received an inheritance from Count Dracula. Before she gets there, Linda spends a night in a shady hotel where a weird-looking attendant (played by Jess Franco) warns her not to go to the Kadidados Islands because “death lives there”.

But the blonde ignores the warning and on the following day meets the Countess. She is shocked to discover that the Countess looks exactly like the exotic dancer from the nightclub in Istanbul. After a casual lunch, Linda’s world spins out of control.

Franco’s Vampyros Lesbos is a film with multiple identities. A good portion of it is developed around key elements from Bram Stoker’s famous Gothic novel about Count Dracula. However, it is very easy to tell that Vampyros Lesbos was conceived and shot to impress as one very colorful and seductive psychedelic trip. As a result, the unconventional overlapping of the horror and psychedelic material frequently creates the impression that the narrative is awfully incoherent.

The dreamy environment in which Linda meets the elegant Countess is the biggest strength of Vampyros Lesbos. It allows Franco to avoid numerous genre clichés and unleash his imagination without worrying about accuracy. In other words, Stoker’s novel is nothing more than a convenient point of departure for Franco and Vampyros Lesbos.

The sexual content is tame, and by Franco's standards, perhaps underwhelming. However, the majority of it is surprisingly well-lit and shot, easily outclassing similar content from bigger and better-funded films. The sexual stage acts are especially good.

Vampyros Lesbos has been available to see in two versions: German and Spanish. The German language version is the one Franco preferred. It is complemented by a truly phenomenal soundtrack courtesy of the German duo Manfred Hubler and Sigi Schwab. “Droge CX 9", “The Lions and the Cucumber”, and “Shindai Lovers”, for instance, are widely regarded as classic psychedelic tunes. The Spanish language version was distributed under the alternative title Las Vampiras. It uses alternative opening titles, and it is edited slightly differently.

*Severin Films’ combo pack presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of the German version, sourced from the original camera negative, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray.

Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Severin Films' release of Vampyros Lesbos is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are both Region-Free.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray disc. We have not provided screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray disc.

In America, Vampyros Lesbos made its high-definition debut with this release, also produced by Severin Films, in 2015. The combo pack presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of the German version of Vampyros Lesbos, sourced from the original camera negative, on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The new 4K restoration is an all-around terrific upgrade in quality, regardless of whether viewed in native 4K or 1080p. There are several big reasons for this. The most consequential one is that it is free of degraining corrections, which were present on the previous restoration. As a result, virtually the entire film has a sharper, far more consistent and, most importantly, stable organic appearance. Color reproduction and balance are better as well. A few darker areas could have been graded more carefully to preserve all darker nuances, but the overall appearance of the visuals remains convincing. (One such darker area that could have been managed better is at the end of the film, where Jess Franco is seen with the Countess). The Dolby Vision grade is not aggressive, so the same areas look pretty good in native 4K and 1080p, while elsewhere, there are absolutely no issues to report. Finally, the dynamic range of the visuals is dramatically improved. On a large screen, this upgrade in quality is quite simply unmissable. The previous restoration produced visuals that frequently appeared unnaturally flat, even in areas where there was still plenty of fine detail. Now, there is a lot more to see and enjoy practically everywhere. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Audio tracks on releases of films directed by Jess Franco are always difficult to evaluate because they tend to retain many native limitations. I do not know if any new work has been done on the lossless track included with this release, but I felt that some of the music sounded marginally fuller. I could not tell if the German dubbing was in any meaningful way better than before because it is too uneven in too many places, which is an inherited limitation. The English translation is very good.

Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by film professor Aaron AuBuchon and Oscarbate Film Collective's John Dickson and Will Morris.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

• German Trailer - presented here is a restored original German trailer for Vampyros Lesbos. In German, with English subtitles. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by film professor Aaron AuBuchon and Oscarbate Film Collective's John Dickson and Will Morris.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

• Interlude in Lesbos - in this archival video program, Jess Franco discusses his relationship with German producer Artur Brauner and the films he did with Soledad Miranda, as well as the production history of Vampyros Lesbos. In English, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 1080p).

• Fever Dracula - in this video program, Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions - The Delirious Cinema of Jess Franco, discusses Jess Franco's work with producer Artur Brauner during the '70s (both Vampyros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy were produced by Brauner), the unusual style and atmosphere of Vampyros Lesbos (with some specific comments about the character Franco plays himself), the soundtrack used on the German version of the film, some of the key differences between the German version (which is the preferred by Jess Franco version) and the Spanish version of the film, etc. While similar, this is not the same program featuring Thrower that was included on Severin Films' previous Blu-ray release of Vampyros Lesbos. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• The Red Scarf Diaries - in this recent program, filmmaker Sean Baker discusses Jess Franco and his films. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• In the Land of Franco - Part Twelve - back in January of 2020, Severin Films released a promotional trailer for Stephen Thrower's exclusive new program In The Land of Franco in which he visits various locations throughout Europe where Jess Franco shot many of his popular cult films. Presented here is part twelve of the program. Other parts of the program are included as bonus features on various Severin Films releases of recently restored Franco films. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Sublime Soledad - in this archival program, critic Amy Brown (soledadmiranda.com) discusses the life and legacy of actress Soledad Miranda and her professional relationship with Jess Franco. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Jess Is Yoda - a hilarious interview with Jess Franco in which he reveals that, apparently, he was the inspiration for the popular Star Wars character. In English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• German Opening Title Sequence - in German, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• German Trailer - presented here is a restored original German trailer for Vampyros Lesbos. In German, with English subtitles. (3 min).

Vampyros Lesbos 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is easy to declare that the definitive home video release of Vampyros Lesbos has arrived. Severin Films' exclusive new 4K restoration of Jess Franco's preferred German version of Vampyros Lesbos is a thing of beauty. It looks equally great on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, too. This upgrade was needed because the previous restoration of Vampyros Lesbos, which was presented in America in 2015, had various issues. In this combo pack, the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray are both Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.