Review Twins of Evil (1971)

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Twins of Evil is a 1971 horror film by Hammer Film Productions starring Peter Cushing, with Damien Thomas and the real-life twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson.

It is the third film of the Karnstein Trilogy, based on the vampire tale Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. The film has the least resemblance to the novel and adds a witchfinding theme to the vampire story. Much of the interest of the film revolves around the contrasting evil and good natures of two beautiful sisters, Frieda and Maria Gellhorn. Unlike the previous two entries in the series, this film contains only a brief vampire lesbian element.

Some considered the film a prequel to The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire.


Cast
Production

Hammer was originally going to make a film called Vampire Virgins. However producer Harry Fine saw a Playboy spread involving the Collinson twins and decided to make a film focusing on them.

  • Ingrid Pitt was offered the part of Countess Mircalla but refused.
  • The same sets were used for Vampire Circus.
  • Harvey Hall and Kirsten Lindholm appear in all three films of the trilogy, although in different roles in each one. Peter Cushing also played one of the leads in the first, The Vampire Lovers. (A part was written for Cushing in the second film, but he dropped out of the production due to the illness of his wife. The role was taken over by Ralph Bates.) Luan Peters, who plays a small role in this film, also appeared in the second film, Lust for a Vampire, as did Judy Matheson.
  • The original film included a short scene, which is now edited out, in which the evil twin approaches her uncle. The scene is out of place as their uncle is busy burning the other sister; somehow he teleports back home and the evil twin gives him a show. Cut out for American audiences and possibly to maintain story line continuity, the original scene was aired on public television in the 1980s.

Reception

Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film a passing grade of two and a half stars, calling it "engaging" and "inspired" in its use of the Collinson twins.[3] A.H. Weiler wrote in The New York Times that the Collinson twins made the film interesting, but "The rest of the costumed crew... hardly give Twins of Evil a good name."

In other media

A novelisation of the film was written by Shaun Hutson and published by Arrow Publishing in association with Hammer and the Random House Group in 2011, ISBN 978-0-09-955619-0. The book contains an introduction by the film's director, John Hough.

The film was adapted into an 18-page comic strip for the January–February 1977 issue of the magazine House of Hammer (volume 1, # 7, published by General Book Distribution). It was drawn by Blas Gallego from a script by Chris Lowder. The cover of the issue featured a painting by Brian Lewis based on imagery from the film.

The British music duo Collinson Twin (formed 2009) are named in tribute to the Twins of Evil stars. Another British music group The Twin Dracula are thought to be named after the characters.



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
One of Cushing's best roles, in my opinion. Gustav Weil is as big a monster - if not bigger - than the evil he purports to fight against, murdering innocents under the cover of religious belief.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Mary Collinson

Mary Collinson
(born 22 July 1952 in Malta) is a model and actress. She was chosen as Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month in October 1970, together with her twin sister Madeleine Collinson. They were the first identical twin Playmate sisters.

The Collinson twins first arrived in Britain in April 1969,[1] and prior to their appearance in Playboy one of the first people to use them was the glamour photographer/film maker Harrison Marks who cast them as saucy maids in his short film Halfway Inn. The film, made for the 8mm market, was shot sometime between their British arrival, and July 1970, when a still from the film was used in a Marks' advert that ran in that month's issue of Continental Film Review magazine.

Her sister is quoted in The Playmate Book as saying that Mary has two daughters and now lives in Milan with an "Italian gentleman," who she has been with for more than 20 years.



Madeleine Collinson

Madeleine Collinson (22 July 1952 – 14 August 2014) was a Maltese-British model and actress. She was chosen as Playboymagazine's Playmate of the Month in October 1970, together with her twin sister Mary Collinson. They were the first identical twinPlaymate sisters.


Career

The Collinson twins first arrived in Britain in April 1969,[1] and prior to their appearance in Playboy one of the first people to use them was the glamour photographer/film maker Harrison Marks who cast them as saucy maids in his short film Halfway Inn. The film, made for the 8mm market, was shot sometime between their British arrival, and July 1970, when a still from the film was used in a Marks' advert that ran in that month's issue of Continental Film Review magazine.[2]

Both sisters went on to acting careers, mostly in B-movies. Madeleine married a British Royal Air Force officer and raised three children. She later moved back to Malta and was involved in cultural and educational activities there. In her final years, Madeleine Collinson lived in San Gwann Malta. After several months of illness, she died at Mater Dei Hospital in Msida on 14 August 2014 with her twin sister Mary present.
 

Sunflower007

Member: Rank 3
:emoji_relaxed: ~ I remember seeing this movie for the first time at the Horror channel years ago. I thought it was good and loved watching Peter Cushing as Gustav Weil the town moralist control leader who goes killing off certain woman that he doesn't seem fit. He also played the uncle of the Twins. As for those twins I've never seen them in any other films. Not that their performance were bad & they were beautiful. The plot was interesting, trilling and I enjoy watching vamp flicks. So I rated it years ago on the IMDb website with 9 stars. Too bad that I don't see it often on tv. I believe you could watch it on Youtube.

*~:emoji_cat:~*


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I found an island in your arms
A country in your eyes
Arms that chain,
Eyes that lie


By: The Doors - Break on Through
:emoji_microphone:
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
The Collinson twins were two beauties and sadly this was their only Hammer film, but then again how could you return to the same schtick again? Peter Cushing, the greatest and nicest man who ever lived plays the baddie in this one apart from Damien Thomas as the evil Count Karnstein) and as usual makes the film a classic! I remember the twins in another film made after this, with Kenneth Cope and Keith Baron who create a drug that makes women unable to resist them (She'll follow you anywhere-1972)
JB
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
:emoji_nerd: ~ Has anyone read this novel? I just found out that there was a book.


*~:emoji_game_die::emoji_game_die:~*



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I found an island in your arms
A country in your eyes
Arms that chain,
Eyes that lie


By: The Doors - Break on Through
:emoji_microphone:

I got it from the library the other week. I can never seem to focus on reading complete fictional works now, preferring to read factual books, but dipping into it, it seems to be an accurate retelling of the tale as seen in the film. No updating it to modern day or any such nonsense.
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
I read it last year and it's very good! True to the film and adding subtle hints to the story! It also adds how Isobel Black's character may have been killed by vampires when she meets Gerald Harcourt and his wife in a coach on it's way out of Karnstein! Now which Hammer film has a character with that name?
JB
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Apparently the story was trying to tell us that Gustav Weil and his puritans were more evil than Count Karnstein and his vampire cohort! Sorry Weil might have been wicked, or misguided but the real evil was definitely Karnstein! We never saw Weil sacrifice anyone to the Devil like the Count even if Weil's brotherhood picked on the innocent girls because they wouldn't take a husband which automatically makes them a witch!
JB
 
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