Fangs of the Living Dead is a 1969 horror film about a beautiful virgin who inherits a castle only to find that the inhabitants include a strange nobleman and a bevvy of beautiful women she suspects may be vampires.
It was written and directed by Amando de Ossorio (Demon Witch Child; The Loreley’s Grasp; the Blind Dead series).
The movie stars Anita Ekberg, Rossana Yanni and Julian Ugarte (All the Colours of the Dark; The Mark of the Wolfman). The film is also known as Malenka, the Niece of the Vampire; Malenka la vampire, Malenka: la nipote del vampiro, Malenka: la sobrina del vampiro and The Vampire Girl.
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.
Some of the soundtrack score by Carlo Savina (Lisa and the Devil; The Legend of Blood Castle; Naked You Die) was later recycled for Night of the Damned (1971).
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Plot:
Italian fashion model 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 Germany. She excitedly calls her fiance Piero (Gianni Medici) to tell him that she’s going to travel to view the castle. Once there, Sylvia visits a local inn, 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, 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 who 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…
“Fangs of the Living Dead marks an inauspicious genre debut for de Ossorio…” Lawrence McCallum, Italian Horror Films of the 1960s book
” …Crudely strung together and seems unsure of how intentionally funny it’s meant to be. Indeed, at times it seems like little more than a hotly contested battle of heaving bosoms, Yanni bolstering already pneumatic mix of Ekberg, Ambesi and Lorys.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic book
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Choice dialogue:
Max: “And you’re a case of a psychotic bore!”
Cast and characters:
Anita Ekberg … Malenka/Sylvia Morel
Gianni Medici [as John Hamilton] … Doctor Piero Luciani
Diana Lorys … Bertha Zemis
Adriana Ambesi … Blinka
Rosanna Yanni … Freya Zemis – Count Dracula’s Great Love; Mark of the Wolfman
César Benet … Max (as Guy Robers)
Carlos Casaravilla … Doctor Horbinger
Fernando Bilbao … Vladis the Coachman
Paul Müller … Doctor Albert
Adriana Santucci … The Count’s Maid
Aurelia Treviño … Village Woman
Juanita Ramírez … Brugard the Barmaid
Julián Ugarte … Uncle/Count Walbrooke – All the Colours of the Dark; Mark of the Wolfman
Keith Kendal … Man
Filming locations:
Castillo de Butrón, Gatika, Biscay, Spain (castle of the Walbrooks)
La Alberca, Salamanca, Castilla y León, Spain (mountain village)
San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid, Spain (Some exteriors and partial shots of the castle walls)
Piazza Navona, Rome, Lazio, Italy (facade of the Elisabetta lab where Doctor Piero Luciani works)
Original titles:
Italy: Malenka, la nipote del vampiro “Malenka, the Niece of the Vampire’
Spain: Malenka, la sobrina del vampire “Malenka, the Niece of the Vampire’
Production and release:
Filmed in the summer of 1968. The movie had its world premiere on 23 July 1969 in Italy and was released in Spain in August of the same year.
Film Facts:
An alternate supernatural ending was added to the English-language version of the film, in which the uncle (Julián Ugarte) disintegrates into a skeleton at the end, apparently indicating that he really was a vampire and contradicting the rest of the film.
Boris Karloff was initially approached to star in the film, but he turned down the role following contractual wrangles.
For the trailer, the film itself and more movie info, please visit page 2
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