Twins of Evil (1971)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1971
Running Times: 87 mins
Format: Eastmancolor
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Hammer Film Productions
Producers: Harry Fine, Michael Style
Production Manager: Tom Sachs

SCRIPT
Script: Tudor Gates
Characters: From Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

DIRECTION
Director: John Hough
Assistant Director: Patrick Clayton

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Dick Bush
2nd Unit Photography: Jack Mills
Camera Operator: Dudley Lovell
Labs: Rank Film Processing

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Spencer Reeve

MUSIC
Musical Director: Phillip Martell
Music: Harry Robinson

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Ron Barron
Sound Editor: Bill Trent
Dubbing Mixer: Ken Barker

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Chief Make Up: George Blackler
Assistant Make Up: John Webber
Hair: Pearl Tipaldi
Wardrobe Supervisor: Rosemary Burrows

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Bert Luxford
Special Effects Photography: Jack Mills

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Roy Stannard
Construction Manager: Arthur Banks

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Gladys Goldsmith
Dialogue Coach: Ruth Lodge

LOCATIONS
Locations: Black Park Country Park, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Studio: Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Joe Dunne

CASTING
Casting Director: Jimmy Liggat

CAST
Peter Cushing (Gustav Weil)
Dennis Price (Dietrich)
Madeleine Collinson (Frieda Gellhorn)
Mary Collinson (Maria Gellhorn)
Isobel Black (Ingrid Hoffer)
Kathleen Byron (Katy Weil)
Damien Thomas (Count Karnstein)
David Warbeck (Anton Hoffer)
Harvey Hall (Franz)
Alex Scott (Hermann)
Katya Keith (Countess Mircalla)
Roy Stewart (Joachim)
Maggie Wright (Alexa (girl on tomb))
Luan Peters (Gerta)
Inigo Jackson (woodman)
Judy Matheson (woodman's daughter)
Sheelah Wilcox (lady in coach)
Kirsten Lindholm (girl at stake)
Peter Thompson (jailer)
Roy Boyd (dying man - uncredited)
Maxine Casson, Vivienne Chandler, Doreen Chanter, Irene Chanter, Jackie Leapman, Annette Roberts (schoolgirls - all uncredited)
George Claydon (midget - uncredited)
John Fahey, Kenneth Gilbert, Derek Glynne-Percy, Jason James, Sebastian Graham Jones, Bill Sawyer (puritans - uncredited)
Cathy Howard (third girl at stake - uncredited)
Peter Stephens (uncredited)
Garth Watkins (chief priest)

PLOT SUMMARY

In nineteenth century Europe, Orphaned twins Maria and Frieda Gellhorn are sent to live with their uncle Gustav Weil, the leader of a fanatical puritan sect known as the Brotherhood. The puritans roam the countryside in search of witches and vampires, but seem to have met their match in the shape of the arrogant and morally bankrupt Count Karnstein. Turned into a vampire by his reborn ancestor Mircalla, Karnstein turns his attentions to one of the twins...

The third, last and best of Hammer's Karnstein series may be let down badly by the lack of ability on the parts of the Collinson twins (they look great but simply cannot act) but boasts another towering performance from Cushing, an unusually morally ambiguous script (it's often difficult to tell the difference between the forces of 'good' and 'evil') and top-notch direction.

Portugal
Theatrical Distributor: Sonoro Filme

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Rank Film Distributors Limited

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures
Video Distributor: VidAmerica

Australia
Rating: R

Finland
Rating: banned in 1972

Portugal
Rating: M/18

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X; 18

USA
Rating: R (with 5 approximately minutes of cuts)

1971
March
22: UK - shooting begins

September
17: USA - Arthur Ebeles of Universal Studios writes to Hammer's James Carreras suggesting that the title of the film be changed to Twins of Dracula
24: UK - trade showing at the Preview Theatre, London

October
3: UK - theatrical opening at the New Victoria in London
17: UK - nationwide theatrical release

1972
June
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release
8: Sweden - theatrical release

1993
October
15: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1998
May
22: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

2000
January
23: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

2001
November
1: UK - television broadcast (on Carlton Cinema)

December
2: UK - television broadcast (on Carlton Cinema)
28: UK - television broadcast (on Carlton Cinema)

2002
January
1: UK - television broadcast (on BBC Choice)

A new gigantic terror-filled X film programme - UK (on double bill with Hands of the Ripper)

Djävulens dotter - Swedish title
Drácula y las mellizas - Spanish title
Draculas Hexenjagd - German title
Le figlie di Dracula - Italian title
The Gemini Twins
Twins of Dracula
The Virgin Vampires - early title

SEQUEL TO
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Lust For a Vampire (1970)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Peter Cushing: A One-Way Ticket to Hollywood (1989)

MAGAZINES

Filmfacts vol.15 no.12 1972 p.276 (USA)
reprinted reviews

Films and Filming vol.18 no.4 (January 1972) p.61-62 (UK)
credits, review (by David McGillivray)

Flesh and Blood no.2 p.34 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

The House That Hammer Built no.8 (April 1998) pp.421-424 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review (by Wayne Kinsey)

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.38 no.454 (November 1971) p.226 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by Nigel Andrews)

Music From the Movies no.28 (August 2000) p.62 (USA)
soundtrack review

Photon 21 p.44 (USA)
review

Today's Cinema 23 March 1971 p.8 (UK)
credits

Today's Cinema 1 October 1971 p.17 (UK)
credits, review (by Marjorie Bilbow)

Variety 20 October 1971 (USA)
credits, review (by Jock)

Video Junkie no.1 p.21 (USA)
review

BOOKS

Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography pp.338, 344-346
credits, synopsis, review (by Tom Weaver and Deborah Del Vecchio)

A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer pp.243, 245, 250, 251-254, 263, 264, 369-371
production notes, credits, review (by Denis Meikle)

Horror and Science Fiction Films II p.407
credits

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.94
credits, review (by Stephen Jones)

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.507
credits

KEYWORDS

vampires, sex, sequels, castles, twins, the supernatural

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009