Blood and Roses 1998 Horror Movie Review

At the end of this film I just decided, as will you, that this movie kind of stinks. The story is of a woman who becomes possessed by a vampire and then spends her time roaming around her castle looking for something to eat. It is seriously lacking something and I would say that it might be directorial talent as Roger Vadim seems to have had no interest in anything while he was making it. Being a vampire movie I found it odd that it was almost completely void of any blood, but it also proves that he wasn’t here for cheap thrills. There is also no character development and no evolution of plot. It has no intentions of offending or entertaining or pandering, the acting and set design directly invoke 1960’s sitcoms, which is to say they are simple and obvious. I would have to admit though that part of me was interested throughout and I think it was because there was just so much campy fun to be had here. It is also an unusual change of pace for vampire movies. Sure it is nothing like “Interview With the Vampire” but who wants to watch that movie until the end of time anyways? There is also no denying the charm of a film in which every line is delivered breathlessly and with a sense of fake seriousness. What are they taking so seriously? Certainly not the incompetent bloodsucker that is chasing them around, and certainly not this film that they are starring in.


“Blood and Roses” opens with a blase gabfest as rich people sit around talking about vampires, blood, roses. . .that sort of thing. Next we move to a party where the guest of honor, Carmilla, refuses to show up, claiming a broken heart as the reason. Soon however she begins to hear voices. At first I thought they were her thoughts we were listening in to, and that she was lecturing some girl named Carmilla. Turns out she is Carmilla and we are hearing the beckoning of a vampire who will soon take control of her body. The rest of the movie is just an exercise in trying to figure out who she will attempt to eat next. I will admit that a lot of what was happening didn’t really register with me and that very well may have been due to my boredom. The rest of the cast is given nothing to do other than look aristocratic, riding around on horses, dining in castles (like the rest of us). The brief run times make it so that it ends just when it feels like the story is starting to move forward. . .not that I am complaining because I was more than ready for the end credits to roll.


Any subtext about women scorned is never fleshed out and left up to the viewer. This is a yarn about a woman who didn’t get the man she loved but the script is far too lazy to take it any deeper than that. The lips of the actors were also somewhat problematic as sometimes they lined up perfectly and sometimes they didn’t. Was the film dubbed? Partially? There is also a scene which looks to explore (or exploit if you are of a more cynical nature) the endless connection between vampires and lesbians. We get an ever so slightly bloody kiss and the rest, intellectually/sexually, is left up to our imagination. Not that I’m calling for more of that sort of thing, rather that any sort of excitement would have been welcome here as the film moves forward as quickly as a zombie, and just as attractively. **