Jean Rollin’s third film, Shiver of the Vampires, emerges as a progression of his idiosyncratic concepts and approaches to horror and vampirism. Rollin’s talents are more solidified here and his storytelling more confident, although still refusing to shed its inherent iconoclast spirit of experimentation and surrealism. The result proves to be a film that refuses to wallow in traditional narrative structure while still remaining one Rollin’s best efforts.

When two newlyweds (Sandra Julien and Jean-Marie Durand) deviate from their trip to Italy in search of two of the bride’s lost cousins from childhood they encounter many curious happenings. For one, the town seems to forget the cousins (or wants to forget them) and soon Isle finds that they have died. But as the couple delves deeper into the enigma, they soon find a terrible secret that includes, among other things, a vampiric cabal and the true fates of Isle’s cousins.

Unlike 1968’s The Rape of the Vampire (Rollin’s first feature length film) and the following year’s The Nude Vampire, Shiver insists on a more linear storyline. Undeniably part of Rollin’s talent is his effortless ability to distill a story to its most rudimentary components and fill in an admittedly simple script and plot with brilliant, sensual imagery and dreamy art direction overflowing with metaphors and eloquent symbolism. Simply put, Rollin’s films have always appealed to the senses rather than logic.

Helping to arouse those senses is a cast primarily made up of frequently nude women. Of them are two vampiric servants (Marie-Pierre Castel and Kuelan Herca) and a mysterious woman named Isolde (Dominique) who makes her grand entrance from an antique grandfather clock. Such robust and striking imagery is not uncommon in Rollin’s eclectic filmography , and this film is no different. The female actress’ nubile bodies are often cloaked in beautifully saturated sepia lighting (courtesy of photographer Jean-Jacques Renon) that effortlessly enhance the already dreamy and somnambulistic nature of the film. And of course there are many rotting graveyards and medieval castles where the vampires dispatch their devious deeds. Never being one to miss an opportunity, Rollin brilliantly juxtaposes the decrepit, rotting atmosphere of the castles with the metallic, ultra modern monochrome of cars and the quaint settings of modern life for a very effective comment on the tension between the living and the dead in the film. This is but one example of Rollin’s carefully chosen imagery reflecting a deeper, more profound meaning for the film. As a result, the film emerges as one that warrants repeat viewings to truly enjoy. Finally, rock group Acanthus (who broke up shortly after the film’s completion) contributes greatly to the atmosphere with a joyously psychedelic rock score.

DVD SPECIFICATION

Original Year of Release- 1970
Approximate running time- 96 minutes
Aspect ratio- Widescreen 1:66:1
System- NTSC (colour)
Rating- Unrated
Sound- Dolby Digital 1.0
DVD release- Redemption films
Region Coding- Region 0

DVD EXTRAS

-Theatrical Trailers
-Photo Gallery
-Director Filmography

MAIN CAST
Sandra Julien....Isle
Jean-Marie Durand....Antoine
Jacques Robiolles
Michel Delahaye
Dominique....Isolde
Marie-Pierre Castel
Nicole Nancel....Islabelle

MAIN CREW
Jean Rollin....Director, writer, producer
Monique Natan....Writer
Jean-Jacques Renon....Cinematography
Acanthus....Music
Olivier Gregoire....Editing
Michel Delesalles....Art Direction

DVD RATINGS (out of 5)

Picture 4/5

This is probably the best Shiver of the Vampires will ever look. The transfer used was remastered from Rollin’s own 35mm inter-negative print, and it looks great. Sharp, crisp images and gorgeous colors. The only nuisance is the prevalent specks and grain, and the occasional soft shot.

Sound 4/5

Sounds great! The dolby digital mono sound is crisp and clear, with bold and deep bass and crisp treble. If only it were remixed in 5.1 surround. Oh well…

Extras 2/5

A little skimpy here. You get two identical theatrical trailers (one in original French, other in English). There is also a nice photo gallery of movie stills and behind the scenes shots. Finally, there is a fairly informative Rollin filmography.

Overall Rating 4/5

This is a great film, and a great disc. While the film (and the great transfer) may be the main attraction here, the supplements are nice enough and better than nothing.

AKA

Sex and the Vampire
Thrill of the Vampires
Strange Things Happen at Night
Terror of the Vampires
Vampire Thrills

OFFICIAL SITE

www.shockingimages.com/rollin