Twins of Evil (Australian Import) (4K UHD Review)
Director
John HoughRelease Date(s)
1971 (October 29, 2025)Studio(s)
Hammer Film Productions (Imprint Films/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: A
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian 4K Ultra HD import.]
Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 novella Carmilla has seen a number of adaptations on screen, or was simply used as an influence for other types of films. Hammer Film Productions had adapted it in 1970 as The Vampire Lovers with Ingrid Pitt in the lead, which fed into the lesbian vampire milieu that was becoming more and more prevalent at the time. After the release of Lust for a Vampire, which also took elements from Carmilla, Hammer released Twins of Evil in 1971, the sort of apex of their lesbian vampire oeuvre. Released in some territories as Twins of Dracula and The Gemini Twins, Twins of Evil felt like an extension of what they had already done before with their Gothic horror trappings; but since ratings were changing and attitudes toward sex and violence were becoming a little more relaxed, they began pushing both in their releases.
Identical twins Maria and Frieda (Mary Collinson and Madeleine Collinson) have newly-arrived from Venice and made their way to a small village where they are to live with their aunt Katy (Kathleen Byron) and uncle Gustav (Peter Cushing) after the sudden deaths of their parents. They soon learn that their uncle is a deeply Puritanical man and a member of the “Brotherhood,” a group that hunts down witches and vampires, burning them at the stake to rid the world of evil. Frieda goes against her uncle’s wishes and secretly sneaks out at night to meet with Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), a debaucherous Satanist who has recently been transformed into a vampire. Meanwhile, the girls are attending the local school when Maria becomes infatuated with schoolmaster Anton (David Warbeck), who openly disagrees with Gustav’s methods, insisting on science instead of religion. As Gustav begins to question his brutal methods, the two girls soon come into danger as Count Karnstein means to take them both under his wing and make them vampires. Also among the cast is Dennis Price, Katya Wyeth, Harvey Hall, and Alex Scott.
When Twins of Evil was released in 1971 in the UK and 1972 in the US, the latter on a double bill with Hands of the Ripper, it was a transitionary period for Hammer Film Productions. They had been on a run of releasing multiple sequels to their most successful films, The Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula, and were looking for new ideas and fresh talent behind the camera. A script had been developed with the title Vampire Virgins, but the idea of making them both twins and vampires had come later during re-writes. Directed by John Hough, who would go on the direct The Legend of Hell House, Escape to Witch Mountain, Return to Witch Mountain, The Watcher in the Woods, and American Gothic, had the initial idea to use split screen and camera tricks when he was unable to find the right twins who could act and were willing to appear nude on camera. Producer Harry Fine found what they were looking for in the pages of Playboy, and 18-year-olds Mary Collinson and Madeleine Collinson, who had appeared jointly as “Miss October 1970,” fit the bill.
Making a third film in what became known as the Karnstein Trilogy, preceded by The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire, Twins of Evil would be more exploitative, but also act as a sort of transgressive commentary on the nature of women. In the film, when they’re anything but servants of the lord, the ‘Brotherhood’ deems them to be the work of the devil, which is not far removed from reality. Frieda is the more rebellious and promiscuous of the two twins while Mary attempts to remain loyal to their aunt and uncle. Yet at the same time, Count Karnstein is literally becoming evil, inadvertently proving Gustav right, but at the expense of his own beliefs.
This is also a film that does things a little different than what you might expect, especially since this was an era in which lesbian vampires were very much in vogue at the cinema. However, there’s only one small lesbian-type moment in the film, functioning more as a teasingly salacious bit of horror than an exploitative and sensual romp. It’s also surprising how little nudity that there actually is in the final film. One moment late in the story sees Frieda full frontal, with even some pubic hair showing, which is something you rarely if ever saw in a British horror film at that time. Otherwise, the film is somewhat chaste, baiting viewers into the idea of two young naked women without fully delivering. Depending on your own viewpoint, that’s either a benefit or a detriment.
Today, Twins of Evil is seen by most as a high point, particularly due to Peter Cushing’s performance, but also due to a changing of traditional Gothic horror formulas. Opinions differ on the performances of Mary Collinson and Madeleine Collinson, whom may or may not have been dubbed over in the final version, but the film is nevertheless entertaining with plenty of atmosphere, while providing an interesting commentary on Puritanism versus female sexuality.
Twins of Evil was shot by cinematographer Dick Bush on 35mm film with Arriflex cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the UK in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1, and in the US in 1.85:1. Presented here in 1.66:1, the Imprint Films Ultra HD debut of the film is sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a dual-layered BD-66 disc. It’s a wonderful presentation with some caveats, firstly lacking the extra disc capacity of a BD-100 disc. Nevertheless, it offers a beautiful image that’s organic to its source. The tepid bitrate can range anywhere from 30 to 80Mbps, often sitting somewhere in between. Because of this, grain is a little unsteady, but it appears natural all the same. Saturation isn’t as rich as it was on the Synapse Films Blu-ray from 2012. Flesh tones appear more on the pallid side, while greens and reds are never quite as lush as they could be. The HDR passes get the most detail out of them, but some further correction could have been beneficial. Blacks are deep with excellent contrast, and the image is stable with only some mild speckling. All in all, it’s a terrific-looking disc.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s a clean track that offers the various elements plenty of support, especially the dialogue and Harry Robertson’s score. There’s a minor dropout here or there, but it’s a solid track otherwise.
Via Vision’s Region-Free Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release of Twins of Evil is #52 in their Imprint Films line. It’s a 2-Disc set that also includes a 1080p Blu-ray, with both discs sitting in a black Amaray case alongside a double-sided insert, featuring the original theatrical US poster artwork on the front and a still from the film on the reverse. Also included is a 60-page hardcover booklet with a cover that re-uses artwork from the original UK quad theatrical poster and features multiple stills from the film, as well as a reprinting of the film’s original press kit. Everything sits in hardbox packaging that features new artwork and opens from the top. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
- Audio Commentary with Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons
- Isolated Music and Effects Audio Track in 2.0 LPCM
- Bloodlines: Inside Twins of Evil (HD – 21:00)
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
- Audio Commentary with Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons
- Isolated Music and Effects Audio Track in 2.0 LPCM
- The Flesh and The Fury: X-Posing Twins of Evil (Director’s Cut) (HD – 89:12)
- Satanic Decadence & the Legacy of Sheridan Le Fanu in Hammer’s Twins of Evil (HD – 20:34)
- The Props That Hammer Built (HD – 23:29)
- Interview with Director John Hough (HD – 21:45)
- Interview with Actor Damien Thomas (Upscaled SD – 49:12)
- Super-8 Version of the Film (HD – 9:41)
- Deleted Scene (SD – 1:09)
- US Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:31)
- Double Feature Trailer with Hands of the Ripper (HD – 2:40)
- TV Spots (HD – 3 in all – 1:02)
- Motion Picture Still Gallery (HD – 14:01)
Both audio commentaries were recorded in 2021 for Imprint’s Blu-ray release of the film. The first features film critics Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, and the second features film historians Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons. Both are analytical discussions of the film while also delving into the careers of its cast and crew. Like most of the extras in this release, there’s some overlap, but both provide valuable information about the making of the film. The Isolated Music and Effects Audio Track is presented in 2.0 LPCM. Bloodlines: Inside Twins of Evil is a new documentary about the film, featuring interviews with Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons, and author Alan Barnes, as well as 2004 interviews with screenwriter John Peacock and director John Hough.
From Ballyhoo Motion Pictures is Daniel Griffith’s director’s cut of the excellent documentary The Flesh and The Fury, which delves deep into the era in which the film was made when Hammer began taking advantage of ratings alterations, but also offers an exploration of adaptations of Carmilla in cinema, including Twins of Evil. Participants include film historians Wayne Kinsey, Kim Newman, Tim Lucas, Ted Newsom, David J. Skal, Christopher Frayling, John-Paul Checkett, and Eric Hoffman; directors Joe Dante and John Hough; actor Damien Thomas; and via vintage recordings, producer Michael Style and former executive at Hammer Films Sir James Carreras. Satanic Decadence is a video essay by Kat Ellinger who discusses the transgressive nature of Twins of Evil, as well as how women have been portrayed in films dealing with witchcraft and vampirism in relation to Carmilla. The Props That Hammer Built presents Wayne Kinsey’s small but fascinating collection of surviving props and other articles from various Hammer productions, including Kiss of the Vampire, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Brides of Dracula, The Evil of Frankenstein, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Gorgon, The Devil-Ship Pirates, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Horror of Dracula, Moon Zero Two, The Horror of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, The Viking Queen, She, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, Twins of Evil, and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter.
In the Interview with Director John Hough, conducted by Hammer historian Marcus Hearn in September of 2013, he speaks about his various attempts at careers while trying to get into the film industry, working in the sound department before becoming a director on Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood, working in television before coming to Hammer Studios, becoming involved with Twins of Evil, coming close to working on the James Bond series, his work with Peter Cushing and the Collinson twins, dealing with the special effects, developing the final cut, working on Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense aka Fox Mystery Theater, and nearly doing an adaptation of Vampirella. The Interview with Actor Damien Thomas was conducted on stage by Wayne Kinsey at the 2008 Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester, England. They discuss Thomas’ career at length, the trials and tribulations of acting in film, and many details about the making of Twins of Evil and other productions, later taking questions from the audience. The Super-8 Version of the Film, prepared and released by Walton Home Movies, is a highly condensed version of the ending. The Deleted Scene features some of the girls from the school singing True Love, and most concur that it’s much better left out of the final film. Last are most of the film’s trailers, TV spots, and a Motion Picture Still Gallery containing a collection of 130 images of production photographs, sexploitation photos, and promotional materials. Not carried over from previous releases is the UK theatrical trailer, a comic book adaptation, and the original script via DVD-ROM.
Imprint has upgraded their 2021 Blu-ray release of Twins of Evil with a beautiful package, a great picture, and some fantastic supplemental material. It could use some tweaking, and it would be interesting to see the alternately-framed and trimmed-down presentations of the film included in future releases, but for now, this is the final word on Twins of Evil. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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