Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

ferbs54 Besides being marvelously entertaining, 1956's "I Vampiri" is also an historically important film, and for two reasons. First, it was the very first Italian horror film of the sound era (I have never been able to precisely ascertain WHY the Fascists saw fit to put a ban on this type of entertainment in the 1930s, but the effects of the clampdown were far-reaching indeed). And second, and perhaps just as historic, it was the film that saw the first bits of direction from the great Mario Bava, a longtime director of photography and special effects technician who, as the story goes, filled in for director Riccardo Freda, shooting half the film in the final two days of its allotted 12-day production schedule! Freda was apparently quite pleased with his 42-year-old DOP's first attempt in the director's chair, as he gave Bava another chance to pinch-hit for him three years later, in the exciting horror film "Caltiki, the Immortal Monster" (an Italian variant of "The Blob," which had been released the year before). Bava's first go as the official director of a film came the following year, with 1960's "Black Friday," one of the eternal glories of Italian horror--heck, of horror cinema as a whole--and the rest, as they say, is history. Anyway, I labored under two misconceptions before finally sitting down to watch "I Vampiri" recently. In my ignorance, I had long thought that its title translated to "I, Vampire," whereas of course it translates to "The Vampires." My other incorrect assumption may perhaps be more easily excused: I had always thought that the picture dealt with your average caped and coffin-inhabiting neck noshers, whereas the vampires on display here are decidedly of a different ilk.In the film, which transpires in modern-day Paris, and not Italia (another expectation dashed!), four young women have been found, dead and exsanguinated, over a six-month period. When the latest of the "Vampire Killer"'s victims is fished out of the Seine, hunky-dude reporter Pierre Lantin (played by Dario Michaelis) redoubles his efforts to track down the fiend. He is hampered in those efforts by the persistent and unwanted attentions of the beautiful Giselle du Grand (exquisitely played by Gianna Maria Canale), niece of the mysterious, elderly and veiled recluse the Duchess du Grand, who inhabits the local castle. By employing some old-fashioned detective work--and while irritating to distraction the police officer on the case, Insp. Chantal (Carlo D'Angelo)--Lantin is able to track his bloodsucker down...only to find that it is like nothing he'd been expecting....Fast moving and intelligently scripted, more startling than scary, "I Vampiri" dishes out some truly genuine surprises. For this viewer, the dawning realization as to the vampire's true nature came around 2/3 of the way in, right before the big reveal, and it really is a doozy, I must say. Most impressively, the transformation of the vampire from something seemingly normal into something more shocking (I am trying valiantly not to be guilty of spoilers here) is accomplished with no stop-motion photography or other tricks of the cinematic trade; a wig, a change of vocal timbre, and a flash of decayed teeth do the job quite nicely. Some very effective work here by Freda and Bava, and I might add that the acting in the film is quite fine, too, down to the smallest bit parts. The film mixes in Gothic elements (which would be a mainstay of Italian horror cinema in the early to mid-'60s) with more modern styles, and Bava's lensing of the duchess' palace, with its moldering crypt, exquisite ballroom and shadowy passageways, is a thing of great and dismal beauty, prefiguring his work in "Black Sunday." Shot in B&W and CinemaScope, the film looks just fantastic, with Bava proving yet again what a master he was at employing light and shadow. (How impressive the film must have looked on the cinema screen back when, and how surprising the fact that the picture was NOT an instant success!) One odd note here: the score by Roman Vlad, which, especially during the action sequences, almost sounds more suitable for a Flash Gordon sci-fi serial. But other than this, the film works just fine; a levelheaded entertainment that holds up splendidly well almost 60 years after its premiere. Freda, after this film, would go on to direct not only "Caltiki," but two pictures starring the so-called "Queen of Horror," Barbara Steele: "The Horrible Dr. Hichcock" and "The Ghost." As for Bava, after getting his feet wet here, he soon embarked on one of the most important directing careers in Italian cinema history. Nice to realize, though, that "I Vampiri" is far from just a dry, historic relic; it is a genuinely fun film that should surely please all fans of the Euro horror genre....

revrommer This one mainly works because of the amazing set direction and Gothic spaces. As it gets going it feels like a typical 1940s style murder mystery, with young women having gone missing, but hardly a horror movie at all. But when another girl disappears the search leads to an empty apartment building and then to the castle of a certain Countess du Grand, who happens to be enamored of the lead detective on the case. Though the castle appears to be of evil repute, the countess attracts guests to a ball, and the affections of another reporter. She is a mysterious figure, living in adulation of a portrait of the reporter's father, playing antique record players. The castle sets are stunning productions, drawing one into the horror that sustains her beauty (a storyline explored further in Eyes Without A Face, The Awful Dr Orloff, The Faceless Monster, Mill of the Stone Woman and Countess Dracula) . The movie literally gets gobbled up by the Gothic atmosphere of the castle, with its incredible gargoyles, elaborately Gothic crypt, secret passages, baroque cobwebs, pillars marked with demonic images, and a Sleeping Beauty tangle of vines on the grounds. The reliance on scenery alone to communicate a descent into a sadistic unconscious reminds one of Cocteaus Beauty and the Beast though the strategy was tried too in 40s Hollywood. When at last the mystery is discovered, here too the special effects are quite well done. Mario Bava was involved in the photography, just testing his fogbound vision of Gothic mystery, and it shows. After starting out all cops and robbers, this one ends up with a completely satisfying expression of pure demented horror.

entomol71 This is a good film directed by Riccardo Freda who sometimes signed his names as Robert Hampton. Although in the headlines the make up is by Francesco Freda, it is clear there is a collaboration of M. Bava especially as regard the transformation of Gisele Du Grand, that is simply fantastic. She begins old within three seconds all in the same frame. It was an excellent example of visual effects. Unfortunately the film was a disaster from the economic point of view due to secondary unknown actors, except G. M. Canale in the role of Gisele Du Grand. Somebody said she was Freda's girlfriend in the sixties. Although the story is set in Paris many scenes have been shot in the studios. Freda was a good director but as many Italians he had few resources available. It is important to remember him for "I giganti della Tessaglia" too, that inspired Don Chaffey's "Jason and the Argonauts", but unfortunately he sank low with horror B films in the sixties. As it often happens the film was dubbed in post production with the following voices: Police inspector: E. Cigoli, Pierre the journalist: G. Locchi, Laurette's father: G. De Angelis

MARIO GAUCI This is notable for being the first Italian horror film, thus spearheading a rich Gothic vein which ran well into the 1970s (one of three strands of horror which emerged simultaneously – the others being the so-called "Mexi-Horror" and Britain's Hammer brand-name). Curiously enough, I had never heard of the film when it turned up on late-night Italian TV some years ago but loved it immediately and, having erased the tape, I'd been pondering the idea of picking up the Image DVD ever since its release – but, only now, with Anchor Bay's recent issue of THE MARIO BAVA COLLECTION VOL. 1 Box Set did I determine to spring for it! Rewatching I VAMPIRI now and, having in the meantime amassed quite a few titles made in this style, I can safely say that it was a tremendous start to the subgenre and remains one of its finest examples.Due to a dispute with the producers, Freda left the project after 10 days' shooting; Bava eventually completed the film and, during the remaining 2 day's work, reportedly made considerable changes to its plot structure (which should have allotted him a co-director credit – a similar situation subsequently arose during the making of the horror/sci-fi CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER [1959]). Bava's cinematography lends the film a real class – transcending its obvious low-budget and tight schedule – with any number of sweeping camera moves (to take advantage of the Cinemascope format) and incredible lighting effects. Besides, the transformation of the villainess from a beautiful woman into an old hag are masterfully accomplished in-camera through the use of filters (pretty much in the style of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE [1931]). The sets, especially the elaborate castle interior, are suitably impressive; Roman Vlad's powerful score may have been re-used in later films, as it felt oddly familiar to me.The script does seem to naively approach the new genre by piling on typical elements from the American horror films, such as the mad scientist and his sinister-looking 'zombie' acolyte. However, there's no real vampire at work here – but rather rejuvenation by blood transfusion; perhaps, it was thought that the traditional bloodsucker would seem incongruous – or, worse, laughable – amidst a modern-day Parisian backdrop, but this clash of settings actually works very nicely (and may well have influenced EYES WITHOUT A FACE [1959] which, in its way, proved even more seminal to the horror genre). Besides, we get an unusual emphasis on the antagonistic rapport between the reporter hero and the police inspector in charge of the crime spree; following a splendid climax, the latter provides a long-winded last-minute explanation for the benefit of the viewer – which, basically, became a fixture of Italian horror/thriller efforts.It's also interesting that the hero, ultimately, establishes the source of evil as being much closer to home than he could ever have imagined; in fact, he represents the object of desire for wicked noblewoman Gianna Maria Canale (probably cast because she was Freda's lover at the time, but there's no denying that her classical looks and natural sophistication are perfect for the role). Still, even if the reporter falls for a lovely ingénue and does bear a grudge against Canale, his aggressive aversion to the latter isn't credible: he should have been fascinated by her in spite of himself, thus creating an inner conflict for the hero. As it stands, one is merely moved to see Canale cling pathetically to an unrequited love – for which she debases herself by being driven to crime in order to re-obtain a semblance of youth (a scheme which still backfires on her, as the effect only lasts for short periods of time)!The latter drawback leads, incidentally, to a head-scratching scene towards the end of the film: Canale runs into the hero, who accompanies her to buy a painting – she starts reverting to her true decrepit age while writing a cheque, excuses herself and hurries away to 'safety'. This, somehow, arouses the reporter's suspicion (why he should care whether she is right or left-handed is beyond me, but her behavior appears odd even to the shop-owner) and he promptly phones a colleague who had accompanied him the night before to a party given at the castle – the latter, smitten with the lady, had stayed behind – and, consequently, discovers that his friend has vanished! Euro-Cult favorite Paul Muller's haunted, hunted look makes him ideal for the role of the hapless junkie who's, basically, blackmailed into complying with the doctor and the Duchess's perverse experiment. Curiously enough, Freda had originally intended him to be guillotined and subsequently reassembled; this grisly end, however, was dropped when Bava took over – but the stitching marks on his neck are said to be still visible in a scene where the re-animated Muller is grilled by Police (still, not being aware of his altered fate beforehand, I can't say that I noticed)!Interestingly, I VAMPIRI fared poorly at the box-office; this has been attributed to the Italian people's innate skepticism of a home-grown horror product, thus giving rise to the long-running – and often highly amusing – practice of bestowing cast and crew members with English-sounding names! With respect to the American market, then, the film was bafflingly retitled THE DEVIL'S COMMANDMENT and included additional scenes featuring Al Lewis (later of the horror-spoof TV series THE MUNSTERS)!!