Jean Rollin’s startling debut feature, 1968’s The Rape of the Vampire (Le Viol du vampire), introduces his unique take on vampirism, establishing the blend of surrealism, eroticism, and horror that would become his trademark.
In the film's first part, four strange women living in a decrepit château – and all believing themselves to be ancient vampires – are visited by a psychoanalyst who attempts to rid them of their apparent delusion. In the second, the Queen of the Vampires presides over a diabolical clinic, unaware that the head doctor is plotting against her.
With its surreal black-and-white images and riveting free-jazz score by François Tusques, The Rape of the Vampire was released in Paris to a scandalised response during the chaos of May ’68, heralding the arrival of a major new talent in the fantastique cinema. This new edition also includes Rollin’s 1965 short The Far Countries (Les Pays loin) restored in 4K.
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Supplements
- Audio commentary with writer-director Jean Rollin (2007)
- Audio commentary with film expert Tim Lucas (2023)
- Jean Rollin Introduction (1998, 3 mins): filmed appraisal
- Fragments of Pavement Under the Sand (2023, 32 mins): updated documentary on the making of the film, directed by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, and including interviews with key collaborators Jean-Denis Bonan, Jean-Pierre Bouyxou and Jean-Loup Philippe
- Jean Rollin on ‘The Rape of the Vampire’ (2007, 5 mins): the director in conversation at the Fantasia Film Festival, Montreal
- Jean Rollin: L’Effervescence (2023, 40 mins): Jean-Denis Bonan, editor and assistant director, recalls his early collaborations with Rollin
- Je ne regrette rien (2023, 13 mins): newly edited archival interview with actor Jacqueline Sieger
- The All-Rounder (2023, 18 mins): newly edited archival interview with writer, actor and set dresser Alain-Yves Beaujour
- Parallel Routes (2023, 12 mins) newly edited archival interview with composer François Tusques
- Indelible Impressions (2023, 9 mins): critical appreciation by film historian Virginie Sélavy
- Alternative scene
- Super 8 version
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image galleries
- The Far Countries (Les Pays loins, 1965, 17 mins): brand-new 4K restoration of Rollin’s second fictional short film
- The Far Countries audio commentary with Jean Rollin (2007)
- L’Itinéraire souvenir (2018, 30 mins): artistic reconstruction of Rollin’s lost and unfinished 1962 short film, L’Itinéraire marin, by filmmakers Victor Poucalow and Raja Tawil
- De la grève (2023, 7 mins): a short history of L’Itinéraire marin, with contributions from Jean-Denis Bonan and Jean-Loup Philippe
- Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Beatrice Loayza, archival writing by Jean Rollin on the making of the film, an archival interview with the director by Peter Blumenstock, Jean Rollin’s recollections of shooting The Far Countries, and full film credits