Vampyres is a 1974 British horror film directed by José Ramón Larraz and starring Anulka Dziubinska, Marianne Morris, and Murray Brown. Its plot follows two female lovers who, having been resurrected as vampires, lure unsuspecting travelers to their dilapidated estate to feed on their blood.
The film contains the trope of the lesbian vampire, and was targeted by film critics for its depictions of graphic violence, sex, and its presentation of female bisexuality. It was first released in the United States in 1975 by Cambist Films, and was later released in the United Kingdom in 1976.
In the years following its release, the film has garnered a large cult following.
Plot[]
Fran and Miriam, female lovers, are shot to death in bed at a rural English country house. Resurrected as vampires, the couple proceed to carry on by luring unsuspecting people to the dilapidated estate, where they can feed on their blood.
Young couple John and Harriet drive past Fran while traveling through the English countryside. Afterward, John and Harriet decide to camp out in their caravan near the country house for several days. Harriet is perturbed by the locale, and tells John she saw another woman (Miriam) hiding behind a tree when they passed by Fran. That night, during a rainstorm, Harriet sees lights inside the home, and is startled by a figure looking into the caravan. John investigates, but finds nothing.
In the morning, a middle-aged man named Ted passes through the area, observing a single-car accident with a male decedent. Fran, again posing as a hitchhiker, gets a ride from Ted to the house. She invites him inside, where the two have passionate sex. In the morning, Ted finds a gash wound on his arm, which he attributes to a broken wine glass. After failing to locate Fran, Ted stops at John and Harriet's parked caravan, where they invite him in for coffee and bandage his wound. Ted returns to the house, waiting for Fran's return in his parked car. She returns at dusk, accompanied by Miriam and a young man, Rupert, whom the women have also lured there. That night, after Ted falls asleep, Fran joins Miriam in murdering and feeding on Rupert. After hiding the body, the women shower together. Miriam implores Fran to murder Ted soon, fearing she may become too emotionally invested.
Curious about Fran and Miriam, Harriet follows the women the next morning as they walk into the woods and pass through a church graveyard. Meanwhile, Ted departs in his car, and stumbles upon another road accident scene, but is startled to see the victim is Rupert. Rattled, Ted returns to the house and inadvertently locks himself in the wine cellar. That night, Fran and Miriam return to the house and find Ted in the cellar. Fran begins feeding on his arm wound as he lies submissively. Miriam enters the room and also begins to feed on Ted's wound, followed by the women having sex as Ted lies beside them.
Harriet eventually enters the house, and finds both Fran and Miriam sleeping in darkness in the wine cellar. John confronts Harriet and ushers her out of the house, worried they will be cited for trespassing. Ted, who has lain weak with anemia in Fran's bedroom, hears the women depart and return to the house, again with a new suitor, this time a self-assured playboy. They bring him to the cellar, where they stab him to death. Meanwhile, Ted garners enough strength to stumble outside to John and Harriet's caravan. John attempts to drive to safety, but is murdered by Fran and Miriam in the car. Upon going to investigate, Harriet is attacked by Fran and Miriam, who drag her into the wine cellar and slit her throat.
At dawn, Ted stumbles back to his car in a daze. He is awoken by a realtor who assumes Ted to be a drunkard and orders him to leave. As Ted drives hurriedly away, the realtor approaches the estate with an elderly American couple interested in purchasing it. The realtor comments that the real estate agency has had trouble selling the property, as it is believed to be haunted by two women who were murdered there.