I VAMPIRI (1957)

Beautiful Parisian girls were his victims!

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.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• 2K restoration of the film presented with Italian audio

• Alternate presentation of the UK Lust of the Vampire cut, newly transferred for this release from archival materials courtesy of the BFI National Archive (1959, 66 mins)

• Alternate SD presentation of the US The Devil’s Commandment cut (1960, 72 mins)

• Audio commentary by Tim Lucas (2023)

• Bloodthirst - a featurette on the making of the film with Fabio Melelli, Mario Bava and Dario Michaelis (2013, 17 mins)

• Interview with Lamberto Bava (2022, 15 mins)

• Interview with Leon Hunt, author of Mario Bava: The Artisan as Italian Horror Auteur (2024, 21 mins)

• The Devil’s Commandment trailer

• Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH for English audio

• Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters

• Booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969