The Karnstein Trilogy

The Karnstein Trilogy is a series of vampire films produced by Hammer Films. They were notable at the time for their daring lesbian storylines.^[1] All three films were scripted by Tudor Gates. All three feature vampires of the noble Karnstein family, and their seat Castle Karnstein near the town of Karnstein in Styria, Austria.

The trilogy

• The Vampire Lovers (1970), set in 1794 Styria, starred Polish-born Ingrid Pitt as lesbian vampire Countess Mircalla Karnstein (born 1522, died 1546). The film was based on the famous 1872 novella "Carmilla" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu;^[1] the name Mircalla being an anagram of Carmilla, which is an alias Mircalla uses throughout the story.
• Lust for a Vampire (1971), featured Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard as Mircalla's descendant Carmilla (born 1688, died 1710). Set in 1830 (it's suggested the Karnsteins reappear every 40 years), Carmilla adopts the name of her ancestor to seduce and murder her way through an exclusive girls' school.
• Twins of Evil (1971) features Damien Thomas as Mircalla's descendant, the evil Count Karnstein. Mircalla herself, played by German actress Katya Wyeth, appears briefly (though her date of death is now given as 1547). The story concerns sisters Maria and Frieda Gellhorn (played by identical twin Playboy Playmates Mary Collinson and Madeleine Collinson). It is apparently a prequel to the first film:^[2] it depicts a member of the Karnstein family as living instead of vampiric and the set design and costumes give the film a 17th-century look and feel, thus resulting in each of the three films being set in a different century.

Other films

A planned fourth film in the series, variously announced as either The Vampire Virgins or The Vampire Hunters, only got as far as the early draft stage.^[3]

Vampire lore

The vampires of the Karnstein Trilogy differ from those of the Hammer Dracula films. Here, vampires can walk about in daylight and are immune to fire (their bodies are consumed, but their spirits just create or inhabit a new body). Their weaknesses are garlic and crosses, and the only ways to kill them is by staking them through their hearts or beheading them. Some of this lore is retained in the 1972 Hammer film Vampire Circus.

Cast and characters

Key

• A ^Y indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
• An ^O indicates a role as an older version of the character.
• A ^V indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
• An ^M indicates the model served as a body double, with the actor or actress's likeness superimposed onto the model.
• An ^L indicates the actor or actress lent only their likeness for his or her film character.
• A ^P indicates an appearance through a photographic still.
• An ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
• A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Character		Main films
		The Vampire Lovers	Lust for a Vampire	Twins of Evil
		1970	1971
Marcilla "Carmilla" Countess Mircalla Karnstein Lady Durward		Ingrid Pitt	Yutte Stensgaard	Katya Wyeth
General Spielsdorf	Giles Barton	Peter Cushing	Ralph Bates	Peter Cushing
Gustav Weil
Landlord		Charles Farrell	Michael Brennan
Count Karnstein Lord Hagen Durward		Mentioned	Mike Raven	Damien Thomas
1st Villager			Nick Brimble
The Countess Karnstein		Dawn Addams	Mentioned
Roger Morton		George Cole
The Governess Mademoiselle Perrodot		Kate O'Mara
Emma Morton		Madeline Smith
Baron Joachim von Hartog		Douglas Wilmer
Carl Ebhardt		Jon Finch
Doctor		Ferdy Mayne
Laura		Pippa Steel
The First Vampire		Kirsten Lindholm
The Man in Black		John Forbes-Robertson
Housekeeper		Shelagh Wilcocks
Gretchin		Janet Key
Renton		Harvey Hall
Richard LeStrange			Michael Johnson
The Countess Herritzen			Barbara Jefford
Janet Playfair			Suzanna Leigh
Miss Simpson			Helen Christie
Inspector Heinrich			Harvey Hall
Susan Pelley			Pippa Steel
Amanda			Judy Matheson
Raymond Pelley			David Healy
Biggs			Jonathan Cecil
Professor Herz			Erik Chitty
Bishop			Jack Melford
Hans			Christopher Neame
Peasant Girl			Kirsten Lindholm
Trudi			Luan Peters
Coachman			Chris Cunningham
Schoolgirl			Sue Longhurst
Katy Weil				Kathleen Byron
Maria Gellhorn				Mary Collinson
Frieda Gellhorn				Madeleine Collinson
Anton Hoffer				David Warbeck
Joachim				Roy Stewart
Ingrid Hoffer				Isobel Black
Franz				Harvey Hall
Hermann				Alex Scott
Dietrich				Dennis Price
Lady in Coach				Shelagh Wilcox
Woodman				Inigo Jackson
Woodman's Daughter				Judy Matheson
Young Girl at Stake				Kirsten Lindholm
Gerta				Luan Peters
Gaoler				Peter Thompson

References

1. Meikle, Denis; Koetting, Christopher T. (2009). A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer. Plymouth: Scarecrow Press. pp. 180–182, 195. ISBN 978-0-8108-6353-8.
2. Huckvale, David (2009). Touchstones of Gothic Horror: A Film Genealogy of Eleven Motifs and Images. McFarland & Co. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-7864-4782-4.
3. The Vampire Virgins article