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Vampyres
Year 2015, Spanish
horror director Victor Matellano puts his hand to Vampyres with the
help of Ramon Larraz himself, i.e. the director of the 1974 film of the
same name.
However, new perspectives, improved means and Larraz's help are not
enough to create a convincing remake and above all to make us
understand what the Spanish director wants to tell us.
He probably just wants to show us how much he enjoyed 1974's Vampyres,
since it follows the original story, but also how much he loves genre
cinema and how much Jess Franco and Jean Rollin influenced his work.
And indeed, Matellano tries to surprise us with eros, philosophy and a
hefty and more explicit dose of splatter. He also throws in the good
Antonio Mayans and Caroline Munro, as well as two protagonists who are
unknown to most but who make an impact. His is a generous attempt, but
one that clashes with Larraz's version and comes out decidedly ragged.
What is missing here is that decadent and dark charm, that imperfection
and uncertainty that were the backbone of the 1974 film. Above all,
there is no trace of a sinister manor or castle in Matellano's England.
Scenes à la Rollin, then, with metaphorical intentions are long
passages that slow down the pace and above all do not work. There are,
it is true, some interesting moments but 2015's Vampyres tries to
please and in the end it simply does not work.
There is some very slight difference with the plot of the 1974 film, as
we find John, Nolan and Harriet (Anthony Rotsa, Victor Vidal and
Veronica Polo) camping in the woods near a dilapidated old house. They
are waiting for two other friends, but they do not arrive. Harriet,
worried, starts wandering around the area, meeting strange characters.
Ted (Christian Stamm), has just arrived in this place. He is staying in
a hotel run by Caroline Munro and while wandering through the woods he
finds and gives a hitchhiker a lift. She takes him to her dilapidated
house, making him a source of blood and sex for her and her companion.