Lemora (1973)
Also known as Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural, The Legendary Curse of Lemora, and Lemora, Lady Dracula.
Lila Lee (Cheryl Smith in one of her first ever roles) is a girl in trouble. He father is a notorious Prohibition-era criminal and he has just killed his wife and her lover. Lila goes to live with the local minister where she becomes a paragon of Christian goodness and values. One day, she gets a letter from a mysterious Lemora, who tells her that her father has shown up three years later and is now dying. She is supposed to meet them in the town of Astaroth.
She goes there to find her father and told to watch out for the locals, who are said to have that "Astaroth look."
Lila meets Lemora (Lesley Taplin) and it is pretty obvious from the start she is a vampire. It is like the writer (Richard Blackburn, who is also the Director and plays the minister) took the beginning of Dracula and merged it with Carmila.
Lila figures out what Lemora is and tries to run away, only to encounter the rest of the townsfolk who try to kill her. She ends up killing her own, not bestial, father. During this time the minister is looking for her and has found Astaroth.
The minister gets to town and falls asleep in a barn. He is awakened by Lila who begins kissing him, he tries to get her to stop only to start kissing her back. Lila reveals her vampire fangs and bites him as Lemora, smiling, looks on.
So...happy ending I guess!
I have been looking for this movie for ages, so there is no way it is going to measure up. There is far less witchcraft in it than I was led to believe, and the supposed sexual themes were blown completely out of proportion. There was a lot more in The Vampire Lovers (1970). Still though, it is a nice moody flick with some nice horror elements.
Our lead in this, Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, would have a career into the 1980s, including the rather notorious erotic "Cinderella" playing the titular role. Sadly, as expected, Smith died young. Liver disease and hepatitis due to being addicted to heroin for two decades.
Featured Monster: Vampires (again)
There is not much else to say here that I have not already said. BUT I am struck by how similar in tone this movie is to Messiah of Evil. For starters both deal with remote towns with ancient backgrounds (for America), both feature a central undead figure. Both feature undead monsters that are not quite vampires and not quite zombies, but something in between. Both feature central female leads. Both are also what has been described as a sub-genre of Horror, "American Nightmare" usually films set in American and produced between 1968 and 1976. It's not quite occult-themed horror, but it's related.
For a game, I might mix the two up a little. Lemora turned Lila in the 1930s. What would they be like now, nearly 100 years later? Maybe the "Blood Moon" prophecy of "Messiah of Evil" is about Lemora's death at the hands of a stronger, more powerful vampire? Lots to choose from, really.
October Horror Movie Challenge 2024
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