Jean Rollin’s third feature film, 1971’s The Shiver of the Vampires (Le Frisson des vampires), established themes and visual motifs to which he would return throughout his career, blending horror, eroticism, fairy tale, and surrealism to create his unique cinema of the fantastique.
Arriving at a decrepit chateau for their honeymoon, young newlyweds undergo a series of surreal and sinister encounters, and come to realise that they are the prey of the resident vampires...
With performances from Sandra Julien (I Am Frigid... Why?) and Marie-Pierre Castel (Lips of Blood), ravishing cinematography from Rollin’s regular collaborator Jean-Jacques Renon, and a thrilling jazz-rock score by Acanthus, The Shiver of the Vampires is regarded as one of Rollin’s greatest films.
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Supplements
- Audio commentary with director Jean Rollin (2006)
- Audio commentary with Sylvia Kristel: From ‘Emmanuelle’ to Chabrol author Jeremy Richey (2023)
- Jean Rollin Introduces ‘The Shiver of the Vampires’ (1998, 4 mins): filmed appraisal
- Rouge vif (2023, 18 mins): updated documentary on the making of The Shiver of the Vampires by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, including interviews with key collaborators Natalie Perrey and Jean-Noël Delamarre
- Fear and Desire (2004, 41 mins): lengthy discussion between Jean Rollin and the film theorist Patricia MacCormack, filmed in Paris
- Macabre Psychedelia (2023, 8 mins): critical appreciation by the author and film historian Virginie Sélavy
- Export inserts (25 mins): seven explicit sequences filmed for foreign markets
- Original English theatrical trailer
- Original French theatrical trailer
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes
- Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by David Hinds, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with the director by Peter Blumenstock, an archival interview with actor Marie-Pierre Castel, Andy Votel on Acanthus, the mysterious group behind the film’s soundtrack, and full film credits