A mad scientist captures young women in Paris and drains them of their blood in service of an evil Duchess. Also known as Lust of the Vampire, Riccardo Freda's I vampiri mixes the Bathory and Frankenstein stories to create its gothic tale, Italy's first horror film. Made as a challenge by Freda at breakneck speed, cinematographer Mario Bava would complete direction and post-production of the film, adding his signature in the process. With its baroque imagery and stunning visuals, I vampiri forged the path for Italian horror and remains a landmark of Italian cinema history.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 2K restoration of the film presented with Italian and English audio
- Audio commentary by Tim Lucas (2023)
- Thirst of Blood - a featurette on the making of the film with Fabio Melelli, Mario Bava and Dario Michaelis
- Interview with Lamberto Bava
- Interview with Leon Hunt, author of Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur (2024)
- Trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters
- Booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings