L'ultima preda del vampiro

PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE is a so-so early Italian horror movie that is good enough to hold an average euro-horror film buffs attention. Nice music, great looking (and occasionally, scantilly clad) go-go dancers, and not to mention an oddly unique final death scene.

Overall, a nice addition to any obscure movie collection, that will probably merit more than one viewing.

A fan of the late night horror, black and white genre, a fan from early childhood. The title to this movie is tantalizing of itself. The date of production early 60's adds another level to curiosity.

The campy movie is undeniable every cliché is in this movie. Don't go down this road. Don't leave the castle. Don't leave your room. You are for a surprise as the girls are beautiful and you care for them with little to no character development.

Maria Giovanni (Katia) early demise leaves one scratching his head. The end of the movie, you realize that Pierno Regnoli crafted a minor masterpiece.

Erika Di Centa dance performance rivals Salma Hayek's From Dusk to Dawn performance.

The dialogue is campy and compelling with dashes of comedy interwoven.

This is not your typical vampire movie; Dracula having side chick problem?

Scantily clad women, sensual dance number and a minor plot twist: worth the late night or rainy afternoon.

The Playgirls and the Vampire is the English-language version of Piero Regnoli's L'ultima preda del vampiro, released in the US by enterprising producer and distributor Richard Gordon.

The film sees a troupe of exotic dancers, their piano player Frank (Leonardo Botta) and manager Lucas (Alfredo Rizzo) seeking refuge at a remote castle after they are forced to take a detour in their minibus. The owner of the castle, Count Gabor Kernassy (Walter Brandi), reluctantly allows the visitors to stay but neglects to tell them about the vampire that stalks the place at night...

The plot for this film is pedestrian (it's very similar to the equally desperate The Vampire and the Ballerina, released earlier the same year) and the script is uninspired, the film relying on the allure of its scantily clad women to retain the viewer's interest. The ladies are certainly attractive, but even with plenty of 'cheesecake' (and a brief glimpse of nudity), The Playgirls and the Vampire is a colossal bore, director Regnoli handling matters with zero sense of style or finesse.

The most entertaining things about the film are the hilarious dance rehearsal, in which each girl does their own thing, all of them gyrating awkwardly out of time to the music, and the terrible special effects used to show the vampire disintegrating when he is impaled. But as funny as these scenes are, they're not nearly enough to make up for the rest of this clumsy Eurohorror, which is as dull and dreary as the castle in which it is set.

This film was of interest to me because it was the first horror film that I ever saw. At the time, I was attending college in Newcastle, and one day on leaving college, I passed the Essoldo, Westgate Road which was showing this film. On a whim, I decided to go in and see it. With the X certificate, I was expecting that my blood would be well and truly curdled, but it did not turn out that way. In fact, I found it rather dull. Looking at the DVD today, it all seems rather tame. Perhaps it's interest lies in that for cinemas like the Essoldo with little access to the major new releases, this was the sort of thing that they had to show.

Five female dancers, their manager and their bus driver travel around Europe performing in one venue after another while barely making ends meet. One night after a storm blocks the main road, they take a secondary route which leads to a castle belonging to "Count Gabor Kernassy" (Walter Brandi). They are warned to turn around but are reluctant to do so because the manager "Lucas" (Alfredo Rizzo) didn't pay the hotel bill the night before. So the Count puts them up for the night but gives them a strict warning that they are not to leave their bedrooms during the night. Unfortunately, one curious dancer named "Katia" (Maria Giovannini) becomes too curious and dies from an apparent fall from the castle. Things only begin to get even more curious after that. That said, rather than divulge the mysteries that remain I will just say that this is a film more noted for the attractive dancers than anything else. And while Maria Giovannini was certainly sexy, I thought Lyla Rocco (as "Vera") was prettier still. But other than the appearance of the attractive ladies, I thought the film was slow-moving and dull at times. Still, it wasn't a bad vampire film and it's worth a look for those who enjoy movies of this kind from the early 60's.