Malenka

Malenka, the Vampire's Niece

Italian release poster
Directed by Amando de Ossorio
Written by Amando de Ossorio
Starring Anita Ekberg
Music by Carlo Savina
Cinematography Fulvio Testi
Edited by Antonio Gimeno
Production
company
Cobra Films, Felix Cinematografica, Tritón P.C.
Release dates
  • July 23, 1969 (1969-07-23) (Italy)
Running time
 88 minutes
Country Spain, Italy
Language Spanish English Italian

Malenka, the Vampire's Niece (also referred to as Malenka, Malenka: La Nipote del Vampiro, Malenka: la Sobrina del Vampiro, The Vampire Girl, and Fangs of the Living Dead) is a 1969 Spanish-Italian horror film that was written and directed by Spanish director Amando de Ossorio, and his first horror film.[1][2] The movie had its world premiere on July 23, 1969 in Italy and was released in Spain in August of the same year. The film was inspired by similarly themed Italian and British vampire films that were releasing during the same time period such as Dance of the Vampires,[3] and is one of the first vampire films to originate in Spain.[4] It has been credited as being "the 1969 picture that hammered the final nail into the cinematic coffin of the bomb-shelter-era bombshell Anita Ekberg",[5] as well as being "one of the most original gothic examples of Spanish horror".[6] Boris Karloff was initially approached to star in the film, but he eventually turned down the role following contractual wrangles. (Boris wound up dying before the film was completed anyway.)[7] There are two alternative endings for the film, a rationale-type ending in which the vampire turns out to be a hoax, and a supernatural ending which was added only to the English version of the film.[7] The musical score by Carlo Savina was later reused in the 1971 low-budget horror La notte dei dannati.[7] Julian Ugarte played the vampire uncle, fresh from his appearance as the vampire in Paul Naschy's classic La Marca del Hombre Lobo (1968).

Upon its release producers offered "free psychiatric care" for anyone disturbed by Malenka or by two of the other films they were showing, Curse of the Living Dead or Revenge of the Living Dead.[8]

Plot

The beautiful and virginal Sylvia (Anita Ekberg) is delighted to discover that she's inherited not only the noble title of Countess, but she has also inherited a castle located in the country. She excitedly calls her fiance Piero (Gianni Medici) to tell him that she's going to travel to view the castle. Once there she stops at a local inn for a drink, where she announces her destination and relation to the castle's inhabitants- which horrifies the townspeople. Unswayed by the townspeople's reactions, Sylvia arrives at the castle and meets her uncle, the Count Walbrooke (Julian Ugarte), and beds down for the night. She is later awakened by the maidservant Blinka (Adriana Ambesi), who warns her that Walbrooke is a century-old vampire that means her harm. Blinka's attempts to draw Sylvia out of bed and out of the castle are interrupted by Walbrooke, who takes her into another room and whips her. Sylvia pleads with him to stop, only for Walbrooke to reveal that Blinka herself is also a vampire.

The next morning Sylvia attempts to leave but is persuaded to stay after Walbrooke tells her about her aunt Malenka, who was burned at the stake for being a witch. He convinces Sylvia that the family is cursed and because of her strong resemblance to Malenka, paired with her ties to the family, that Sylvia is also cursed. Furthermore, Sylvia must remain at the castle and stay unmarried, otherwise the curse will worsen and affect those around her. As a result, Sylvia breaks off her engagement with Piero, who decides to travel to the castle out of concern for Sylvia. When he arrives at the same inn Sylvia visited earlier in the film, Piero is filled in on the events by one of the inn's barmaids. He then travels to the castle with the intent to stop Walbrooke from turning Sylvia into a vampire. In the Spanish version, the uncle's "vampire ploy" turns out to be a hoax he's using to drive his niece crazy. But the distributors had a different rushed ending added to the English language prints, in which the uncle disintegrates into a skeleton at the end, apparently indicating that he really was a vampire which contradicts with the rest of the film.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ McCallum, Lawrence (1998). Italian horror films of the 1960s: a critical catalog of 62 chillers. McFarland. pp. 75–77. ISBN 9780786404353.
  2. ↑ Cinefantastique, Volume 3. Cinefantastique. 1973. p. 34.
  3. ↑ Cathal Tohill, Pete Tombs (1995). Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies, 1956-1984. MacMillan. pp. 65, 260. ISBN 9780312135195.
  4. ↑ Shipka, Danny (2011). Perverse Titillation: The Exploitation Cinema of Italy, Spain and France. McFarland. pp. 240, 241, 256. ISBN 9780786486090.
  5. ↑ Lidz, Franz (July 3, 2005). "Attack of the $1 DVD's". NYT. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Aldana Reyes, Dr Xavier. "Spanish Gothic Horror". University of Stirling. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Paolo Mereghetti. Il Mereghetti. B.C. Dalai Editore, 2010. ISBN 8860736269.
  8. ↑ Bruce M. Nash, Allan Zullo, Martha L. Moffett (1993). The Hollywood walk of shame: the most outrageously funny moments in show business history. Andrews and McMeel. p. 91. ISBN 9780836280357.
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