LES VAMPYRES

A car races down an open highway at night, the POV being of the headlights dipping onto the road as it races by. Intercut with this LOST HIGHWAY-esque opening shot, is footage of a lucky man enjoying a threesome with two voluptuous women keen to give him a good time.

As the scene ends, it becomes ominously clear that the man may not be seen again.

Next, we meet a young couple who are very much in love. The man indulges in heavy petting with his girlfriend, while explaining to her he's just been promoted at his job. This clearly turns her on, and they start making out more heavily. The upshot of all of this is that they decide to go away on a short break to celebrate his good fortune.

In a nod to Harry Kumel's DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS, the couple venture out to an inn where they enjoy each other's company for a while before meeting up with three women - one of whom (played by adult actress Syren) appears to have a strange spell over the girlfriend.

As the guests retire to their respective rooms, the girlfriend begins to hear voices in the night beckoning her to join them (don't worry, she'll join Syren in time for a bit of girl-on-girl fun). Meanwhile, the boyfriend is disturbed to learn of a spate of murders that have occurred in the vicinity recently, leaving male victims with their dicks chewed off ...!

Well, what can I say? Goths will love the tight leather basques, fanged women with too much mascara and the minor gore that follows the sex scenes. And any red-blooded male will no doubt savour enjoyment from the bevy of perfectly formed, big-chested girls pulled together for this production.

But at the end of the day, that's all LES VAMPYRES has going for it. It's a porno. And, in this softcore version, not a very interesting one at that. Sure, the fact that it borrows its plot from DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS is of minor interest, and the ending is resolutely downbeat (for the male lead, anyhow). But other than some nice colour-filtered lighting and aspirations towards "art" in-between the sex scenes (the camera angles, the long largely silent shots of padding that no doubt the director wanted to add in an effort for people to recognise him as a genuine filmmaker, but in reality people will fast-forward through) this offers little to hold the attention.

LES VAMPYRES is presented in 1.33:1 and the transfer, while a little soft and dark, does it's job without cause for major concern. The same can be said of the reliable English 2.0 audio track.

A static scene-selection menu allows access to the main feature via 6 chapters.

Salvation's disc offers little in the way of extras, but what there is may be of some interest.

Two trailers, for Redemption favourites REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE and LES DEMONIAQUES, a gallery of 9 stills taken from LES VAMPYRES, and two alternate covers for the main feature are the least interesting things on offer.

Better, are the biographies written about several cast members of LES VAMPYRES, plus it's ambitious director James Avalon (he also directed THE BUTT DETECTIVE, you know ...).

Best of all is a 10-minute French film entitled BLOOD, which starts with a female vampire waking up and wondering where she'll find her next fix of blood - then answers it's own question with a satisfying brew of nudity and blood. It's presented in a murky non-anamorphic 1.66:1 transfer with forced English subtitles, but if anything the grittiness of the presentation helps with the film's sleazy tone. BLOOD is ultimately more interesting than the main feature.

LES VAMPYRES is very keenly shot, and is definitely striving to look like more than your average wank film. But, for all it's stylish visuals and slick editing, it is ultimately boring.

Review by Stu Willis