Just when the Hammer Christopher Lee Dracula franchise began to run out of steam in the late sixties, the company revved up its product by turning to Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (written before Bram Stoker penned Dracula, by the way, and a big influence on that better known book) and filming several versions of the novel. The other most interesting one is Vampire Lovers, which keeps far closer to the plot of the book and has a more sustained sense of mood and atmosphere, but ultimately is undone by an actress who is far too old to be believable as the Lolita with fangs that Le Fanu imagined long before anyone had ever heard of Vladimir Nabokov. Lust is admittedly shaky in terms of script, and the ambiance is on again off again (but wow is it terrific when it's on). What makes this click with so many horror buffs, in particularly those who love lesbian vampire films, is the one-time star Yvette Stensgard, a gorgeous Scandanavian child-woman who looks absolutely innocent (particularly when her eyes fetchingly cross), even the moment before she rips open the neck of her next victim. Lots of nudity, with nothing but blood covering her nubile body. Carmilla Karnstein is bisexual, seducing both her lovely young roommates at the all girl's academy and her teacher, a Byronic British romantic who combines elements of Shelley, Byron, and Le Fanu. A genuine cult following has formed around this film because of Stensgard's devastating charisma, which would never be properly employed again, by Hammer or any other company. (Hammer discarded its female star creations as quickly as it stuck with its male stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.) Many jerks complain about a dumb song called "Strange Love" that's indifferently imposed on one sequence. Morons: turn down the volume and enjoy the two gorgeous nymphettes as they swim in the moonlight, adoringly cuddle one another, and then . . . the kiss of death.