Radical Acts: The Cinema of Stephanie Rothman
Lee and his wife Susan accept the invitation of mysterious Diane to visit her secluded desert estate. Tensions arise when the couple, unaware that Diane is a vampire, realize that they are both objects of her seductions.
Toeing the line between exploitation and art cinema, The Velvet Vampire deconstructs vampire mythology with a subversive feminist spirit and dreamily poetic visual style. California couple Susan and Lee Ritter are anxious to accept an invitation from the mysterious Diane LeFanu to visit her secluded desert estate. Unaware that the seductive Diane is actually a centuries-old vampire, the couple soon realize that they are both the objects of her cravings. [80 min; horror; English]
Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.
"A highly intelligent, deftly poetic reimagining of the vampire myth, with the theme of fatal sexuality transferred to a female character." — Dave Kehr, The Chicago Reader
"A titillating semiotic exercise, sending up gender roles and inverting the vampire mythos with results both provocative and ridiculous." — Sean Burns, Crooked Marquee
"You will want to see more Stephanie Rothman films, and you absolutely should." — Erica Ciccarone, Nashville Scene
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