Curse of the Blood Ghouls
| Slaughter of the Vampires | |
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Italian film poster for Slaughter of the Vampires
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| Directed by | Roberto Mauri |
| Screenplay by | Roberto Mauri |
| Story by | Roberto Mauri |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Aldo Piga |
| Cinematography | Ugo Brunelli |
| Edited by | Jenner Menghi |
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Production
companies |
Mercur Films
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| Distributed by | Mercur |
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Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Box office | ₤36 million |
Slaughter of the Vampires (Italian: La strage dei vampiri) is a 1962 Italian horror film written and directed by Roberto Mauri. The film is set in 19th Century Italy where a newly wed couple of Wolfgang (Walter Bigari) and Louise (Graziella Granata) move in to a mysterious mansion. During a ball, Louise is romanced/bitten by the vampire baron of the mansion.
The film was a low budget production, so much so that actor Dieter Eppler stated that many cast members were not paid for their work. The film was released in Italy where it grossed 36 million Italian Lira: in the U.S., it was also titled Curse of the Blood Ghouls.
In 19th Century Germany, a newly wed couple Marquis Wolfgang (Walter Bigari) and Louise (Graziella Granata) acquire a castle. To commemorate the occasion, Louise performs a piano piece she has written during a party. Louise then feels a strange sensation and retires to her room. She is visited by a vampire (Dieter Eppler) who she originally sees at the party she was in and sucks her blood, leading her to desire him. As a result, Louise's health declines which leads to Wolfgang seeking aid from Dr. Nietzche (Luigi Batzella). Wolfgang is too late as when the doctor arrives Louise is already dead. As the doctor diagnoses this, Wolfgang is shocked to find Louise alive as she approaches him and sucks his blood. The doctor later seeks out Louise's hiding place and stakes her to death, along with the servant Corrine, who is also a vampire. Wolfgang's hiding spot is not found as the doctor seeks another abode in the castle. Wolfgang, who is not entirely converted into a vampire, corners his adversary and stakes him with spikes of an iron grating.
Eppler was cast in the film via an international Dino De Laurentiis production. Through Laurentiis' brother, Eppler was cast as a police inspector in a film that never started production due to a lack of funds. Eppler described the film as a low budget production with actors not being paid. The film was shot in Castle d'Aquino in Monte San Giovanni Campano.
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Wikipedia