Lust for a Vampire

In 1830, Richard Lestrange, a teacher of literature, takes up a post at a girls’ finishing school close to Karnstein Castle, where he develops an infatuation with one of his pupils, the enigmatically beautiful Mircalla, unaware that she is in fact the reincarnation of a notorious local vampire. Giles Barton, one of Lestrange’s fellow teachers who has an interest in the occult, suspects the truth and reveals to Miraclla his fascination to learn more the evil cult to which she belongs. His interference costs him his life and places Lestrange in mortal peril!

Original trailer

Production Details

A Hammer production presented by EMI Film Productions Limited, distributed by Anglo-EMI Film Distributors Limited and released through MGM-EMI film Distributors Limited
Copyright MCMLXX EMI Film Productions Limited – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate No. 22676

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

Based on the characters created by Sheridan Le Fanu

RCA Sound System
Technicolor 91 mins

Filming dates: 6th July – 18th August 1970
UK Release: 17th January 1971

Studio:
Elstree Studios of Associated British Picture Corporation, Hertfordshire

Locations:
Hunton Park, Essex Lane, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire –Exteriors Girls Finishing School

Stills from film

Click an image for enlarged slideshow

Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew – Verified complete

CREW	NAME	CREDITED	AGE AT RELEASE	BIRTH	Hidden	DEATH	AGE	CREDITS	UNCREDITED	TOTAL HAMMER
Art Director	Don Mingaye	Yes	42	1929		8 Nov 2017	88	28	15	43
Assistant Director	David Bracknell	Yes	38	10 Jul 1932		Sep 1987	55	1		1
Assistant Director	Lindsey C. Vickers	Yes	31	1940	01/01/1940		85		7	7
Boom Operator	John Hall	Yes	27	22 Aug 1943		16 Feb 2000	56	1	2	3
Camera	Chic (Rodney) Anstiss	Yes	39	1 Feb 1931		30 Jun 2011	80	13		13
Choreographer	Babbie McManus	Yes	53	9 Oct 1917		24 Mar 1991	73	1		1
Clapper Loader	Peter Carmody	Yes	27	1944	01/01/1944		81		6	6
Construction Manager	Bill Greene	Yes						9		9
Continuity	Betty Harley	Yes						6		6
Director	Jimmy Sangster	Yes	43	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	66	2	68
Director of Photography	David Muir	Yes	35	16 Apr 1935			90	2		2
Dubbing Mixer	Len Abbott	Yes	47	19 Apr 1923		5 May 2005	82	4	1	5
Dubbing Mixer	Len Shilton	Yes	60	30 Apr 1910		Jun 1985	75	4	1	5
Editor	Spencer Reeve	Yes	47	10 Dec 1923		15 Dec 1975	52	8	2	10
Hairdresser	Elaine Bowerbank	Yes	26	1945	01/01/1945		80	2	1	3
Hairdressing Supervisor	Pearl Tipaldi	Yes				24 Aug 1993		7		7
Lyrics	Frank Godwin	Yes	53	23 Jun 1917		6 Sep 2012	95	3		3
Make-up Supervisor	George Blackler	Yes	58	7 Mar 1912		30 Oct 1986	74	7	1	8
Music Composer	Harry Robertson	Yes	38	19 Nov 1932		17 Jan 1996	63	26		26
Musical Supervisor	Philip Martell	Yes	63	6 Oct 1907		11 Aug 1993	85	104	1	105
Painter	Michael Finlay	Yes	22	23 Apr 1948			77	1	20	21
Producer	Harry Fine	Yes	58	20 Feb 1912		May 1997	85	6		6
Producer	Michael Style	Yes	38	1933		1983	50	4		4
Production Manager	Tom Sachs	Yes	41	10 Apr 1929			96	8	1	9
Props	Wally Hockings	Yes	40	13 Dec 1931		31 Mar 1992	61		2	2
Recording Director	A.W. Lumkin	Yes	57	1 Feb 1913		25 Oct 1985	72	30		30
Runner	Brian Reynolds	Yes							4	4
Screenplay	Tudor Gates	Yes	41	2 Jan 1930		11 Jan 2007	77	4		4
Sound Editor	Terry Poulton	Yes	41	1930		1993	63	17	1	18
Sound Recordist	Ron Barron	Yes	47	9 Dec 1923		15 Dec 1973	50	4		4
Stand-in: Yutte Stensgaard	Tina Simmons	Yes							4	4
Strange Love sung by	Tracy (Angela Gerome)	Yes	19	1952	01/01/1952		73	1		1
Third Assistant Director	Terry Pearce	Yes							1	1
Unit Publicist	Geoff Freeman	Yes	36	19 Jul 1934		27 Aug 2006	72		1	1
Wardrobe Assistant	Betty Rogers	Yes							1	1
Wardrobe Mistress	Laura Nightingale	Yes						35		35
CAST
Amanda	Judy Matheson	Yes	25	27 Aug 1945			80	2		2
Biggs	Jonathan Cecil	Yes	31	22 Feb 1939		22 Sep 2011	72	1		1
Bishop	Jack Melford	Yes	71	5 Sep 1899		22 Oct 1972	73	1		1
Coachman	Christopher Cunningham	Yes						3		3
Count Karnstein	Mike Raven	Yes	46	15 Nov 1924		24 Apr 1997	72	1		1
Count Karnstein (voice)	Valentine Dyall	Yes	63	7 May 1907		24 Jun 1985	78	3	1	4
Countess	Barbara Jefford	Yes	40	26 Jul 1930		12 Sep 2020	90	2		2
First Villager	Nick Brimble	Yes	26	22 Jul 1944			81	1		1
Giles Barton	Ralph Bates	Yes	30	12 Feb 1940		27 Mar 1991	51	5		5
Hans	Christopher Neame	Yes	23	12 Sep 1947			77	2		2
Inspector Heinrich	Harvey Hall	Yes	39	27 Jun 1931		11 Apr 1997	65	3		3
Isabel	Caryl Little	Yes	27	1944	01/01/1944		81	1		1
Janet	Suzanna Leigh	Yes	25	26 Jul 1945		11 Dec 2017	72	3		3
Landlord	Michael Brennan	Yes	58	25 Sep 1912		29 Jun 1982	69	1		1
Man in Tavern	Fred Machon	Yes							5	5
Man in tavern	Hubert Hill	Yes							5	5
Mircalla	Yutte Stensgaard	Yes	24	14 May 1946			79	1		1
Miss Simpson	Helen Christie	Yes	56	22 Oct 1914		17 Aug 1995	80	1	1	2
Peasant Girl	Kirsten Lindholm	Yes	27	1 Sep 1943			82	4		4
Pelley	David Healy	Yes	41	15 May 1929		25 Oct 1995	66	3		3
Professor Hertz	Erik Chitty	Yes	63	8 Jul 1907		22 Jul 1977	70	1	1	2
Richard	Michael Johnson	Yes	31	5 Jun 1939		24 Feb 2001	61	1		1
Schoolgirl	Jackie Leapman	Yes	24	1947	01/01/1947		78	1	1	2
Schoolgirl	Melita Clarke	Yes	22	1949	01/01/1949		76	1	1	2
Schoolgirl	Sue Longhurst	Yes	27	27 Jan 1943			82	1		1
Schoolgirl	Vivienne Chandler	Yes	23	6 Nov 1947		6 Jun 2013	65	1	1	2
Schoolgirl	Melinda Churcher	Yes						1		1
Schoolgirl	Patricia Warner	Yes						1		1
Schoolgirl	Christine Smith	Yes							1	1
Second Villager	David Richardson	Yes						1		1
Sophie	Erica Beale	Yes	24	13 Jul 1946			79	1		1
Susan	Pippa Steel	Yes	22	15 Apr 1948		29 May 1992	44	2		2
Trudi	Luan Peters	Yes	24	18 Jun 1946		24 Dec 2017	71	2		2
Villager	Fred Wood	Yes	49	26 Oct 1921		25 Jan 2003	81		19	19

Original Poster

Click to enlarge

Footnotes

This film was hit in the pre-production stage by the loss of its original star and director. Peter Cushing, who was to have played the part taken by Ralph Bates, had to pull out because of his wife’s illness; and Jimmy Sangster took over from Terence Fisher, who was incapacitated with a broken leg.

Danish actress Yutte Stensgaard had appeared in Amicus’s Scream and Scream Again (1969). Despite her announced ambition to win an Oscar, it was not to be and she ended up doing a short stint as a hostess on the ATV game show The Golden Shot.

Disc Jockey Mike Raven tried the occasional stab at acting. His other roles include the low-budget Crucible of Terror (1971). In Lust for a Vampire, however, his voice was dubbed by actor Valentine Dyall.

1971 BBFC Cert. “X”

Production Details

Stills from film

Cast & Crew

Original Poster

Footnotes

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