(2013-05-24 21:45:16)

Not as much ecstasy as I was anticipating

This German film, which was actually released in 1973, would seem to offer fans of erotic horror a nice little treat. Perhaps it did at the time of its release, but the whole thing comes across as rather bland these days, and this resulted in a little disappointment for this viewer. The storyline itself also has some virtues to it, but the film's rather sparse elaboration of what is actually going on combined with its actors'/actresses' sometimes hard-to-understand English accents keep it from realizing its true potential. The plot revolves around the infamous Baroness Danielle Vaga, an infamous German aristocrat who cut a bloody swath through the pages of mediaeval history, taking delight in impaling many a victim and reportedly drinking her victims' blood. Strangely enough, the local villagers look upon her as a vampire and eventually burn her at the stake. Unfortunately, they forgot to thrust a "cross of Vaga" (actually, I could never really understand the word associated with the cross, so I'm just guessing it was "Vaga") through her heart. Thus, the Baroness swears she will return some day. It just so happens that a few ladies have been invited to the old castle, ostensibly to discover which of them is a true ancestor of the Baroness. Only two of these girls really matter (and I might add that these are the only two attractive women in the entire film); the constantly hot and bothered Helga carries the movie, as far as I'm concerned, during certain stretches. You also have a pair of uninvited guests who are looking for help following an automobile accident: this is a female doctor of arcane lore and superstition and her seemingly useless brother. Brother and sister are very close - much too close. With everyone in place, we learn bits and pieces about the Baroness' return, watch half-naked women dance and chant to annoying drum music, and meet with only mild erotica on our way to a finish I found disappointing.There is no gore to speak of, the erotic horror claims are highly exaggerated, all but two of the characters are either unimportant or unlikable, and there is nothing the least bit disturbing or frightening about the castle environment. Despite these facts, the movie actually holds together pretty well - if you can figure out the vague and hard to comprehend dialogue that tries to explain the point of the whole story. One should be aware that this film has also appeared under the titles The Devil's Plaything, Revenge of the Black Sisters, and Veil of Blood. I wouldn't go to the trouble of searching for a copy of the film, but it's worth watching.

lordzedd-3

(2013-05-24 14:40:22)

Unique T and A flick from Germany

Erotic cinema of the 1970's was tame compared to the triple X romps oftoday, which is good. Because there is a good story around the nakedrituals and sex scenes. Of course, I wish that they had some vampireeffects which they had at the time period and the sex did get in theway of the story a little. Plus some of the accents were hard tounderstand at time periods, but it's worth watching the uneditedversion then the edited up version which is titled THE DEVIL'SPLAYTHING. But if you don't care for allot of naked women dancing andhaving sex, then this isn't the movie for you. However, I did enjoy itand I give it...7 STARS.

(2013-05-24 14:18:23)

Fun, maybe not for the whole family

Joe Sarno was an early director of erotic films who always added a bit of psychological depth to his tales, as well as hints of perverse sex (incest is a favored topic in many of his works). We're not talking Ingmar Bergman here, but unlike many other grindhouse directors, Joe's films are elaborately plotted, well acted, and nicely shot. No blurry out of frame compositions here. Devil's Playthings exhibit many of these traits. The vampirism is left in a gray area, as we are never sure if the Countess is a real vampire, or simply acting out the influences of the cult who believe they have reincarnated her. There is implied brother/sister incest, and true to the period, writhing females painted with mystic symbols. Where are these cults, anyway? Sign me up! The film is soft core, but exudes an erotic throb, and the gals are swell. The head of the cult is one of those women who is creepily sexy. If you're looking for an offbeat piece of retro-erotica, this film will do nicely. And try other Joe Sarno works, they don't disappoint.

(2013-05-24 05:07:24)

entertaining erotic vampire flick

Naked women, lesbian and heterosexual sex, vampires, black magic and a great creepy old castle to film in...what more do you want? Despite what you may think from the cover and the rather intrusive new title card, this film was originally titled Veil of Blood and came out in the early 70s. It was filmed in Europe, but everybody speaks (heavily accented) English, so I'm not sure if it's Swedish (one of the stars is a Swedish sex siren) or German or what. Anyway, read the plot description on the back of the video box very carefully, otherwise you won't know what the heck is going on most of the time. It involves a cult of women attempting to resurrect or reincarnate their dead vampire queen. Their process involves some sort of, well, horniness spell that, ahem, agitates everybody in the castle, except for the cross-wearing doctor who's agitated enough by incestous feelings toward her brother, who's too busy gettin' busy with the Swedish sex siren parenthetically mentioned above to notice. There's also a beautiful young brunette who is the alleged reincarnation of the dead vamp, though she's barely a footnote to the proceedings until the last 20 minutes or so, and her lesbian caretaker, who also gets it on with the SSS and willingly joins the vampire cult. Got all that? It doesn't matter, really, as the plot, while fascinating, plays second fiddle to the hallucinatory atmosphere. Every person, male or female, gets naked at least once. There's very little gore but a whole lot of psychedelic tribal drumming, and the spooky castle should get its own co-starring credit. Nobody's gonna put this on their list of all-time faves, but it's a vastly entertaining watch for the erotic horror enthusiast.

EVOL666

(2013-05-23 14:12:16)

Lesbo Vampires Unleashed!!!...

THE DEVIL'S PLAYTHING is my second attempt at a Joseph Sarno production- and although I will say it is far more enjoyable than the painfullydull and unerotic Swedish WILDCATS, it is still a little slow andun-explicit for my taste.This one centers around a group of vampire girls who live in a castle,that want to resurrect their previously murdered "leader". In order todo so, the girls have to dance around naked and kiss each other andchant weird stuff - and of course drink some blood, too. When a doctorand her brother's car breaks down and they have to stop at the castlefor lodging - they provide the ideal bloodbank for the hornyvampires...but they may not be as helpless as they seem...THE DEVIL'S PLAYTHING is a pretty good example of early 70's exploitsleaze. Lots of nudity - including some full-frontal, some sleazyundertones - including incest and of course, lesbo-bloodsucking...butthese scenes are still pretty tame by today's standards. Some prettyhot women in this one, would have benefited from some more explicitsex, but I guess ya can't have it all. Also would have benefited fromsome heavier violence/gore, being that it IS a vampire film, but Ithink the purpose of THE DEVIL'S PLAYTHING was more to showcase skin,not blood. Still a little slow - and the acting for the most part isabsolutely wooden - but that's to be expected from something from thisera and of this budget. Worth a look to exploit fans - others may findit a little too dull for their liking. 7/10

(2013-05-22 19:21:01)

Vampire Ecstacy

This review is from: Vampire Ecstasy (1974) (DVD) One of Joe Sarno's masterpeices, a soft porn horror flick that's more than just a T&B fest-a fairly well thought out plot that would keep you interested even if the rarely clad,and frequently misbehaving female cast could not. Brings back fond memories of the 70's!

ellamichelle

(2013-05-22 03:42:14)

Unfortunately dull

Der Flutch der Schwarzen Schwestern (called by it's UK release titleThe Devil's Plaything, on my copy)is an experiment in eroto horror thatnever really takes off.What plot there is to be had involves the spirit of a vampiric baronesswhom has been kept alive by her cult of attendants, so as to possessthe body of a young woman and be reborn. Once resurrected, she cancontinue her bloodlust eternally, provided she drinks the blood of thedescendants of her executioners.The stilted dialogue and even worse acting make the storyline damnedhard to follow (worsened by a very poor audio mix and no subtitles).It's pretty evident the plot is a wash about 15 minutes in, and hadthere been enough half clothed starlets, all would've been forgiven.Instead there's random cut scenes of naked girls dancing tobongos(while wearing body paint reminiscent of extras from Laugh In),lots of spell induced heavy breathing in sheer nighties(resemblingthose shampoo as orgasm Herbal Essences commercials) and a weird incestsubplot, with the girls being fairly below par overall (The castle'shousekeeper/leader of the cult is probably the worst of the lot,looking like a man in drag in most camera angles) This movie is fencesitting between the two genres, and it's lack of commitment to eitheris what makes it a lot less interesting than it could've been. There'stoo little plot to be scary (having actors look about aimlessly is notan effective suspense building tool) and too little quality skin to besexy.3 stars. (1 for genuine castle setting, 1 for the god awful shadowpuppet special effects in the bat attack scene, 1 for an interestingbut wasted premise)

(2013-05-21 22:36:19)

Not really...

This review is from: Vampire Ecstasy (1974) (DVD) First, while there is some biting there are no fangs. In other words, no vampires. Lots of nudity and some sexual scenes, but over all I could have gotten more for my money by buying a adult anime or any other vampire movie. True, the woman are pretty and show no problem getting undressed. In fact there is a scene where Marie Forsa is naked and there seems to be no reason for it. The collector's edition has a commentary where we do find out a little about filming in Europe, how they got a real castle, how the crew got along and so on. There is also interviews, but they seem to cover the same ground. Over all I am interested in Marie Forsa and may get some of her other films, she did a total of three, but I would suggest skipping this film. No vampires, not a lot of ecstasy, not really what the cover promised.

bensonmum2

(2013-05-20 19:16:59)

Based on the other comments, I must have missed something

To be as honest as I possibly can, The Devil's Plaything (or Veil ofBlood or Vampire Ecstasy or The Curse of the Black Sisters or……) is acomplete bore. The movie has a good premise behind it – theresurrection of a long dead vampire through the body of a descendantthrough the aid and assistance of a group of women dressed in black –but the execution is horrible. There are great, long moments of screentime when literally nothing happens. Characters just stand around withnothing to do. There's no mystery, no suspense, and no plot points tocare about. The acting is simply abysmal. Most of the acting involves agroup of below average looking women dancing naked while staring at thecamera. They do this repeatedly. And what little plot there is seems tobe designed to get more of these less than attractive women naked sothey can join in the dancing. While it's not as bad or pointless as thedancing or the plot in something like Orgy of the Dead, it comes close.

filip.roose

(2013-05-20 16:03:58)

This piece of c**p only belongs in the trash!

This is not a horror film, but a boring sex movie. A very bad movie, to beavoided by any serious horror fan. No plot, awful acting and annoyingmusic.If you only watch the trailer you will know enough...It's a shame that such thing is available on VHS or video while there aresomany good movies unavailable.If you like vampires try the Hammer Productions or the Italian Gothic fromMario Bava and Antonio Margheriti instead. Those are masterpieces if youcompare this with this trash.Rating = even "1" is too much!And believe me, I am not the only one with this opinion.

VideoMonkey

(2013-05-20 01:33:54)

'70's tittie grind vampire flick at its best

Well the story is a little hard to follow the first time, but that's onlybecause of all the bare breasted '70s painted-up vampire/witches dancingtothe bongo drums. This of course interrupted by a few vampiric orgies. Andthere are some very interesting candles and uses for them. And for girl ongirl action, vampiric or not...this movie just rocks!!!

Dirtymoviedevotee

(2013-05-19 17:36:49)

Sarno's Lip-smacking Lesbian Vampires Lack Conviction

Making his way back to home soil following the extended Scandinaviansojourn that yielded the landmark likes of INGA and DADDY, DARLING, JoeSarno got sidetracked into the Swiss alps by distributor Chris Nebe whohad made a mint dubbing and distributing several of the director's '60ssexploitation efforts in German-speaking countries and was now lookingto branch out into production. For Sarno who was dragging his feet toreturn stateside anyway, knowing full well that he couldn't keepescaping the looming ever larger specter of hardcore, this artisticalliance came as a godsend. Their association, which was to last thecourse of three films (BABY LOVE and BUTTERFLY being the other two),got off to a less than fortuitous start with VEIL OF BLOOD whichclearly adhered more to Nebe's notion of naughtiness, informed byHammer's sexy streak of lesbian vampire sagas with the Karnsteintrilogy and his access to a 12th Century Munich mansion owned by hisuncle, the Baron Malsen. Sarno seemed out of his depth dealing with theGothic trappings the genre demanded, resulting in one of his clunkiestcarnal capers. Fortunately, both follow-ups played much more to hisgreat strengths as a filmmaker which were the psychology of sex and theoften inadmissible motivations that drive a character's attraction toanother person. VEIL only really swings into gear when focused on theunhealthy desire between brother and sister Peter and Julia Malenkow,brought to a head by innocent interloper Helga, played by themagnificent Marie Forsa making her dirty movie debut.A proverbial wild child prowling the streets of Stockholm when theymet, this Swedish siren served as Sarno's true inspiration for thetriumvirate in which she was to take center stage. No shrinking violet,she shrewdly had it put in her contract that no explicit footage couldbe made public, regarding a legitimate career that never happened, nomatter how far she decided to take matters with her co-stars, which wasall the way by most accounts ! Her work for Sarno holds additionalinterest for American audiences to hear her deliver her own dialog asby means of experiment to facilitate export these movies were shot withthe predominantly German cast speaking English. This proves somethingof a drawback in the case of VEIL however as its dense plot requiresreams of plot exposition, most of it delivered with fluctuatingintelligibility by Hungarian Nadja Henkowa as Frau Wanda Krock, thesinister housekeeper at Castle Varga, the ancestral home of an evilBaroness (Elisabeth Batory in all but name) burned at the stake fourcenturies ago. Hot to trot Helga's one of two remaining descendantscome to roost, the other being uptight brunette for contrast Monika,the scrumptious Ulrike Butz, a veteran of the SCHOOLGIRL REPORT serieswho sadly OD'd a few years later. She's fawned over by butch bestfriend Iris, frequently forgotten skin starlet Flavia Keyt, who hadcaused quite an uproar half a decade earlier sharing a bathtub withpneumatic Sybil Danning in Adrian Hoven's THE LONG SWIFT SWORD OFSIEGFRIED. Monika barely features in the film's narrative until thefiery reincarnation finale, heavily signposted by her "uncannyresemblance" to the portrait of the dead Baroness.Fly in the ointment is Dr. Julia Malenkow (Anke Syring, shouldering theheaviest thespian burden not altogether convincingly, familiar from theimpressive line-up of pulchritude offered by Franz Antel's SEXY SUSANSINS AGAIN supplementing the ranks of Terry Torday, Edwige Fenech andFemi Benussi), an expert in the occult whose car has convenientlybroken down in the vicinity. Brother Peter (bland hunk NicoWolferstetter, an occasional hardcore performer in Lasse Braun'slandmark SENSATIONS) in tow, she's dead set on getting to the bottom ofthe strange goings on at Castle Varga, starting with that infernalbongo beat rising from the basement every night as the bare nekkidWanda leads her band of boob and butt shaking Baroness worshipers in arudimentary introduction to belly dancing and bouts of feverishpenis-shaped candle fondling, a spectacle even Sarno couldn't save fromridicule. Still worse is the lady doc's bat attack done on the cheap,Syring wildly waving her arms at unseen assailants as amplified batsqueaking fills the soundtrack and subsequently mauled by a pair ofunconvincing hand puppets ! Far more effective is the character'stortured soul searching as she finds her brother's taken for grantedaffection alienated by Helga, the resulting triangle fuels what modestdramatic tension the story manages to develop. Even the vaunted vampireaspect alluded to in all of the movie's many titles is almost casuallydiscarded with only the Malenkows clutching their "garlic crosses" aclear reference to bloodsucker lore, as sure a sign as any Sarno wasdefinitely operating outside his comfort zone. Equally clueless appearsthe cinematography by his regular contributor Steve Silverman, a masterof mood on ALL THE SINS OF SODOM who can't muster much more than murkyhere, scoring zilch on atmosphere and squandering a superb location.Tragic Claudia Fielers portrays Wanda's right hand wench Samana whoselascivious finger-licking after fondling Forsa "down there" leaves anindelible lustful impression, more genuinely erotic than much of thetextbook heavy breathing. She's sadly remembered most for being thesubject of Andrzej Kostenko's supremely tasteless THE EVOLUTION OFSNUFF incorporating the actress's real life suicide at age 28. Robustblonde Heidrun Hankammer was a sex education mainstay and co-starred inDietrich's original 1968 adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's DIE NICHTENDER FRAU OBERST. While Sarno resumed residence on the other side of theAtlantic for one of his most fruitful filmmaking periods with theRebecca Brooke cycle, Nebe's association with adult proved short-lived.Taking a page perhaps from the book of respected ex-pat Yugoslaviandocumentary director Marijan Vajda, who acted as production manager onVEIL while his same-named son handled second unit (and was to helm theNebe-produced creepy cult horror BLOODLUST), he turned to documentarieswith considerable success later in life.

Coventry

(2013-05-17 04:35:14)

Penis-shaped Candles! Need I say more?

Well, there you have it, another disillusion on my account. Two,actually! First of all, even though I like to think of myself that Iknow a little something about 70's euro-exploitation and its mostprolific contributors, I never heard about Joseph W. Sarno before.Here's a guy who made over seventy rancid and cult-laden exploitationmovies and I haven't seen a single one! How? Why? What happened here?Secondly, and even worse, just when you think to have found a newsource for obscure cult movies, that director's most famous andsupposed "masterpiece" turns out to be an irredeemably dull andirritating film. Admittedly, lesbian vampire movies form a prettyinsignificant sub genre as a whole, but some of them bath in ominousatmosphere and curious sensuality (like José Larraz' "Vampyres" orHarry Kümmel's "Daughters of Darkness"). Joseph Sarno's film hasnothing to offer, except copious amounts of gratuitous nudity and eventhat becomes boring rather quickly. The events take place in a secludedold castle, hidden deep in the German mountains, where five centuriesago lived a malicious and bloodthirsty (literally) baroness. Her loyaldisciples still throw naked dance parties in the castle's catacombs,which are lit by penis-shaped candles…AUCH, and hope to resurrect thebaroness any time soon now. Suddenly (don't even ask how) the castle isfull of young and sexy female guests, so even more erotic rites ensue.Sounds delicious and entertaining enough, but "The Devil's Plaything"contains a massive number of sequences where literally nothing happensand where the cast members' ignorant facial expressions are simplyunendurable! Sarno isn't capable of creating suspense or building aGothic atmosphere (or maybe he just didn't bother to) and theactresses' capacities restrict themselves to standing in front thecamera topless and pull a really pathetic face. Please do yourself afavor: no matter how desperately you strive to see all luridlesbian-vampire movies of the 70's, this one isn't worth a penny! Eventhe repertoires of Jess Franco and Jean Rollin are pure art compared tothis dud.

goblinhairedguy

(2013-05-16 10:17:41)

unique but disappointing

Sounds like a natural -- a 70s female vampire opus from 60s erotica masterJoseph Sarno. His best suburban exposГѓВ©s of the Eisenhower/Kennedy erafeatured smatterings of the occult, and one would think that the looseningof standards would set his art free. Don't get your hopes up too high,though. First of all, Sarno's favoured technique is to build up tensionbetween characters using short dialogue scenes -- but here, the thick Germanaccents and stiff acting render the script unfathomable. And Sarno doesn'treally have the intense visual style (at least not with thiscinematographer) requisite of the genre, despite the authentic Bavariancastle background. Nonetheless, Sarno fans will be amused by the recyclingof his favourite tropes (candles, bongo drums, ceremonial chants and dances,carnal compulsion and betrayal), and vampiric completists may be amused byhis idiosyncratic and more realistic take on bloodlust conventions. Justdon't expect a lost masterpiece, and be prepared to put some effort into theviewing.

dukee44

(2013-05-15 15:28:48)

A movie about.... WHAA?!

I wasn't as "lucky" as some of the others commenting on this film: ihave never seen anything else out of the...shall we say... "fecund"mind of Sarno. I agree with many: some of the actresses who spend a lotof time topless and (go-go) dancing are not really that attractive. Ikinda liked Fraulein Crank(?)...she was so homely , she was cute! Theacting was pretty stale, also, though delivering lines in a secondlanguage might have accounted for a lot of that problem. Trying tofollow the plot was a major chore: was there one, really? I do heartilyagree with one other comment: for a vampire movie, there's not muchblood. Yep, if you want GOOD bloodsucking flicks, check out such Hammerclassics as "Horror of Dracula" and (my personal favourite) "Brides ofDracula".The most (unintentionally) humorous part is where the lady doctor getsher clothes torn off by a cloud of bats...which you never SEE!...thebats, I mean.Okay as a time-waster if you happen to catch it on cable here in theGreat White North but, for heaven's sake, don't rent it!

contact-258

(2013-05-15 07:37:47)

A softcore masterpiece. Spoilers.

Spoilers! Classic 70's sex trash! The Swedish gal (Helga) was what madethis movie so great. She was beautiful, but what really got to me washow sexual she was. She exuded massive quantities of sexualitythroughout the film. Her best scenes were when she was, er, stimulatingherself. Whenever she was on screen, I became transfixed.Also, the Doctor Julia (sister of the dimwitted male focus of the film)was very interesting visually. Although most 12 year old girls havebigger breasts than Julia, she knew how to use what little she had andher scenes (especially the scenes with the silk blouse and black skirt)also grabbed my attention unmercilessly. You also got to love the majorhoaky scene where the bats stripped her nekkid; I don't know if I'veever seen anything more ludicrous yet sexy at the same time. Classicstuff!

Charles Modzinski

(2013-05-14 21:55:21)

Great sleepwalk flick

Well, if you are looking for a great mind control movie, this is it. Nomovie has had so many gorgeous women under mind control, and naked. MarieForsa, as the busty Helga, is under just about everytime she falls asleepand a few times when she isn't. One wishes they made more movies like thisone.

(2013-05-14 06:37:29)

Very creepy and methotical erotic vampire flick.

Don't go in expecting the film "Vampyres". But honestly, there is something magical about this film. It is dark and creepy in a "Hammer" sort of way. The head mistress is very cunning and seductive and the actress plays her part very well. Creepy bongo-type music plays throughout the film. Not super erotic like "Vampyros Lesbos" and "Vampyres" but still a good old-school film. More on the line with "The Vampire Lovers".

lazarillo

(2013-05-12 18:06:07)

One of Joe Sarno's best films--for what ever that's worth

Joe Sarno has never quite achieved the respect or notoriety of othersex/genre directors like Jess Franco or Russ Meyer largely because hewas a very workman-like director without a really distinctive style ofhis own. However, unlike Franco, who only made movies in Europe, orMeyer, who only made movies in America, Sarno was able to go back andforth across the Atlantic making low-budget classics like "Sin in theSuburbs" in the US and "Inga" and "Young Playthings" in Europe. LikeFranco and Meyer, he definitely had an eye for pretty girls. In Americahe helped discover several bra popping ingГѓВ©nues like Uschi Digart,Marsha Jordan, and Audrey Landers while in Sweden he discovered sometruly impressive beauties like Marie Lillejahl, Christine Lindberg, andthe star of this picture, Maria Forse.Forse, the only Swede in an otherwise German cast, plays a schoolgirlwho is lured with her friend to a remote castle as part of some plot bya coven of witches/vampires to snare a brother and sister in order thatthey can resurrect the siblings' ancestor, a long dead witch (orsomething like that). Her friend becomes a vampire while she falls inlove with the brother. Much nudity, ritualistic dancing, and softcoregroping ensues. The plot really isn't that important though--this isanother European film where the producers apparently had access to anold castle and some actresses willing to disrobe so they decided tomake a movie. The results kind of resemble a Jean Rollins film like"Requiem for a Vampire" but less arty, or a Renato Polselli like "TheReincarnation of Isabel" but less insane. It's more a sex film than ahorror film, but interestingly, judging from some of the footage in theDVD supplements, Retroseduction did not include the strongest possiblecut sex-wise. This is probably just as well as this barely qualifies ashorror film as it is. If you want to see a pure Sarno sex film I'drecommend either the arty but barely legal (if that) Swedish film"Inga" or the godawful American bored housewife romp "Pleasures ofWoman" (which Retroseduction also recently released on DVD-- along witha shot-by-shot "remake" with their in-house silicone cyborg girls justin case you want to watch it twice). Pick your poison.Next to the very hard-to-find "Young Playthings", this is probablySarno's best film though--for whatever that's worth

(2013-05-12 00:38:49)

Cult classic

This review is from: Vampire Ecstasy (1974) (DVD) Loved it, the dark essence of the movie, how erotic the movie is, and the story line. I really enjojed it.