Dracula’s Fiancée

Redemption 2009

Salvation Films

R0 DVD

Dracula’s Fiancée (La Fiancée de Dracula) us a strange gothic fantasy from Jean Rollin. It is one of his later films, dating from 2002, but still embodies his enigmatic cinematic style which mixes horror, eroticism and surrealism. As with all of Rollin’s films it has a dreamlike quality and mixes fantasy with horror as well as beautiful semi naked women. It has a look reminiscent of his Seventies classics Requiem for a Vampire (1975) and Lips of Blood (1975) and will be welcomed by fans.

The film opens as two vampire hunters, professor (Jacques Régis) and his assistant Eric (Denis Tallaron), lay in wait for the witching hour when a vampire will rise from the grave to meet her lover, in this case her lovers is a dwarf jester ! As the hour arises she returns from the netherworld to feed on her lover. The hunters swoop and force the jester to reveal where “The Master” lies. It seems that there is a parallel universe to our world ruled over by “The Master” (Dracula). In our world many of the beings from this world (called parallels) seem insensible, but they are not mad, but simply exist in two worlds at once.

Soon the vampire hunters are on a strange and wonderful hunt for “The Master”. They first meet a young mad girl guarding the “Murderers Tower”, however, she is not as she seems and transforms into a baby eating Ogress at night. As they get closer to their goal they find Isabella, the Fiancée of Dracula protected by a group of insane nuns. It seems that just being in the vicinity of a “parallel” is enough to turn the nuns strange. They smoke pipes, jump rope, have perverse art on the walls and revel in sisterly love.

Soon Isabella has been whisked away from right under the nose of our hunters and after various satanic rites and sacrifice of nuns, the stage is set for the return of “The Master”.

This is another stylish excursion into the surreal from Rollins, it cannot be followed in a lineal manner; it is a visual feast with each image simply flowing from the last. Some of the images are just plain strange (Sister Pipe and Sister Cigar come to mind), while others are striking. A prime example being the nun who after having her heart removed stumbles as the living dead to the fire pit where she kisses her heart goodbye and drops it into a flame. A striking image. Of course being Jean Rollins the film is filled with semi naked women and eroticism.

The acting is of good quality, the cinematography ethereal and the score really adds to the otherworldly feel of the film. This is really quite an unusual and enjoyable take on the vampire legend which is very different from what you will have seen before.

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This review will appear in Volume 2 No.5 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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