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Silent and dreamlike
All the ingredients are there. A gothic castle, dark, humid dungeons, hammer and stake, crosses, coffins, bats, fangs, neck biting, a couple of young virgins - obviously we're talking about a vampire story. But in the hands of French cult director Jean Rollin the outcome is, to put it mildly, diverse and entirely different from well known movies like Tod Browning's Dracula, the British productions from the Hammer Studios in the seventies, Tom Holland's delightful homage Fright Night and more updated entries like The Lost Boys, Kathryn Bigelow's brilliant and deeply original low-budget gem Near Dark and most recently the noisy Blade-series.
These examples must all be considered easily accessible, and even more when compared to Rollin who definitely is somewhat more of an acquired taste due to his characteristic inclinations. Not especially concerned with the horror aspects of his plots, Rollin often makes them take a backseat while he strongly emphasizes and indulges in sensuality and erotic encounters - usually (and preferably) of the lesbian kind. However, these sequences are always set against stark, stunning sceneries thus creating a haunting, enigmatic atmosphere, and what eventually may be more off-putting to most viewers than the plentiful nudity on display is, ironically, what makes his movies so appealing.
And that is Rollins extremely restrained narrative, in Requiem Pour Un Vampire taken to extreme lengths and used more consistently than in any of the directors many other productions. The point of interest is that for nearly 60 minutes of the already short running time there's hardly any dialogue, - a daring move in a horror feature, to be sure, but it does indeed also lend the unfolding events a genuinely surreal, dreamlike feel. This is an example of telling a story mainly through evocative imagery, subtle sound effects and music, - letting the audience experience each scene with their feelings rather than their minds.
Without any preface the movie opens with a car chase in the countryside and in the vehicle in front we see Michelle (Mireille Dargent) and her girlfriend (Marie-Pierre Castel), shooting at their pursuers through the rear window. Who's following them, what they're running from and why they're dressed up as clowns we do not know, but when their male driver is shot, the two young girls are forced to hide out in a forest and subsequently dispose of the car along with the body. The two fugitives seek shelter in a barren, gloomy cemetery, Michelle, however, is nearly buried alive by accident whereupon they have to move on again.
Eventually they come across a seemingly abandoned castle and inside they find a cozy bed for the night and immediately engage in some long overdue and tender lovemaking. Much to their surprise they find out that the castle is inhabited by a melancholic vampire (he's the last of his kind) and his servants, and after this shocking encounter the girls realize that something sinister is in store for them: The vampire wants to 'turn' them so they can continue his bloodline. Michelle soon succumbs to the idea of everlasting life, whereas her girlfriend has serious doubts, and by sleeping with a random passer-by she not only jeopardizes the vampires plans, but also puts the mutual love and friendship between her and Michelle to the ultimate test.
In conveying the simple, minimalist story's shifting moods, Rollin relies heavily on his actors dramatic, facial expressions, thereby, intended or not, capturing the charming look of the old silent movies. Exuding an immaculate, childlike innocence in every single frame regardless of the situation, the two female leads do a more than admirable job, in fact, they outshine the mediocre supporting cast and singlehandedly carry the film in terms of acting. Especially the incredibly cute and sweet-looking Marie-Pierre Castel (who's appeared alongside her twin sister Catherine in numerous Rollin-efforts, among others La Vampire Nue and the upcoming release from Encore, Lèvres de Sang) proves to be one of the directors most soulful and captivating screen precences ever.
Had it not been for a long, fairly explicit and somewhat gratuitous rape sequence (that does, nevertheless, contribute with a distinctive sense of menace) and a wee bit of torture on poor Castel, this otherwise lyrical fairytale would almost have steered clear of exploitation elements. But if you're able to live with that, as well as ignoring a few signs of a rushed production - and some unusually hokey fangs - then Requiem Pour Un Vampire is a darkly erotic, visual treat that is short on sense but long on style and sure to please those looking for a radical change of pace and something out of the ordinary. 
René Pedersen, November 1st, 2005
Picture: 8/10
Requiem Pour Un Vampire has previously been released in the United States by Redemption and among the company's many Rollin titles, this was perhaps the worst looking of them all, tying with Fascination. The picture was rather grainy and somewhat muddy, but the worst thing was some excessive aliasing and shimmering most noticeable in the large stone walls and Mireille Dargents striped shirt. To the point of being impossible to watch, I was therefore very excited to check out the new release from Encore Films, all the more so after their stellar work on Les Démoniaques. So how does Requiem look? Oh, I don't know, how about smashing? Correcting the flaws from the Redemption version, the picture is furthermore anamorphically enhanced in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is so incredibly sharp overall that many hitherto unseen details are suddenly brought to light. Colors are sensationally strong and vibrant and blacks deep and solid, - one particularly difficult scene completely bathed in red is beautifully rendered with only the slightest hint of compression artefacts - upon very close scrutiny, I might add. Once or twice the picture disappears for just a quick moment, there are some instances of grain and some minor scratches in spots, but they are few and far between and Encore Films' sparkling presentation of Requiem is a true delight to behold.
Sound: 5/10
You have the choice of listening to the original French language version or the dubbed English version, both in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. Unfortunately, the latter is the better of the two. The English track sounds much cleaner and has better fidelity than the darker French track which is plagued by some constant hissing, both options, however, do have fine dynamic range. Although I try to avoid dubbed soundtracks as far as it's possible, the one here is actually quite good without the usual overacting that often cheapens otherwise good movies. Despite its shortcomings, I still prefer the French track, though.
Extras: 7/10
On the main feature disc you can see a video introduction by Jean Rollin, and like Encore Films' last release, Les Démoniaques, this exquisitely packaged Limited Edition also consists of two extras discs. On the first disc there are two interviews in French, both conducted in 2005 and with English subtitles. The first (10.06 min) is with the actress Louise Dhour who recalls how she initially met Jean Rollin at a girlfriend's party where he was completely mesmerized by how she played the piano and absolutely wanted her in one of his movies. She also tells a bit about the good camaraderie on the sets of Rollins films and how he always made only one or two takes of each scene - as well as revealing herself as a great admirer of fantastic cinema, an interest she was prevented from indulging in for a period of twenty years due to her working nights as a singer. She barely talks about the filming of Requiem which is somewhat disappointing, but she is indeed a very nice lady with a good sense of humor. Next up is actor Paul Bisciglia (in a clip that runs 16.24 min), a very animate, enthusiastic person who makes a lot of gestures and shows a lot of pictures while telling some very funny stories about how he many years ago absolutely wanted to work for Rollin, after being told that he was an aesthetic director who always had fantastic shots in his movies. He speaks very fondly of his personal rapport with Louise Dhour, of Rollin who always gave a lot of freedom to his actors - and he also gets around to his one scene in Requiem where he chases after a naked girl. A very frank and funny old guy who really cracks me up, but ultimately I can't help wishing for interviews with both, or at least one, of the lead actresses as they're the ones who in fact had the most screen time and therefore might have been able to contribute with some more information. Perhaps Encore Films can get a hold of Marie-Pierre Castel for one of their future releases, Lèvres de sang or Le Frisson des vampires. In 'Le Dernier Livre' Jean Rollin reads his short story of the same name. This clip runs 8.54 minutes and also here English subtitles are provided. Rounding off this disc are the French and English trailers (3.00 + 2.59 minutes respectively) and apart from the text they're absolutely identical in terms of content. On the second extras disc there's a video feature made up of different segments from Requiem with audio commentary by the director. While it's definitely interesting enough to hear Rollin point out some unique visual touches and explain how certain scenes, that weren't originally in the script, were improvised along the way (and that Mireille Dargent was cast because Marie-Pierre Castel's twin sister, Catherine, was six months pregnant at the time), 23 minutes of running time seems too short. Because of potential censorship problems in France regarding nudity, some alternative shots were made with the girls wearing clothes and they amount to three clips, which are all presented here, running 0.20 min, 1.28 min. and 1.05 min. respectively. Lastly there's a rather extensive picture gallery containing stills from the film, ad campaigns, poster art work and a lot of behind-the-scenes photographs. The best extra, in my opinion, comes in the form of yet another lovingly created 64-page booklet in English containing a detailed account of the production of Requiem Pour Un Vampire, spiced up with some quirky and quaint anecdotes. You also find an English translation of Rollins short story 'Le Dernier Livre' (here called 'The last book'), a list of books and publications by Rollin and throughout all the pages there are many of the same images from the picture gallery on the second extras disc.
While the fine extras this time around aren't quite as exciting as those on Les Démoniaques, the supreme picture quality alone should have fans of Jean Rollin in raptures. This is indisputably the definitive version of Requiem Pour Un Vampire which I'm happy to have in my collection ... and I'm still amazed by the attractive slipcase and digipack artwork. Owners of the Redemption version ought not hesitate and should upgrade post-haste – you won’t regret it.
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