A new terror-filled X film
Maria and Frieda, identical twin teenage girls whose parents have recently died, move
from Venice to Karnstein in Central Europe to live
with their uncle Gustav Weill, a stern puritan. Weill is also the leader of the
Brotherhood, a group of religious fanatics trying to stamp out witchcraft and satanism, abducting several young women at night and
burning them at the stake. Both twins resent the sternness of their uncle and one of them, Frieda, looks for a way to escape.
Resenting her uncle, she is driven to resent "good, if doing good is singing
hymns and praying all day long" and fascinated by the local Count Karnstein, who
has the reputation of being "a wicked man".
Count Karnstein, who enjoys the Emperor's favour and thus remains untouched
by the Brotherhood, is indeed wicked and interested in Satanism and Black Magic. Trying to emulate his wicked
ancestors, he keeps experimenting with rituals. One night murders a girl as human sacrifice,
calling upon the forces of darkness. That night, Countess Mircalla Karnstein
rises from her grave and joins him in bed. She bites his throat and turns him
into a vampire. The Count soon notices the lovely young twins and Frieda, following his
invitation, at night steals away to the castle, while Maria covers for the latter's absence. In
the castle, the Count invites Frieda to join him in punishing his maid Gerta and
then bites Frieda, transforming her into a vampire. He offers Frieda her first
victim, which happens to be Gerta, chained in his castle. Frieda approaches the
girl slowly, then bites Gerta on her breast. Frieda returns home and threatens
Maria to keep covering for her nightly excursions but secretly she is also
afraid that she might bite her sister, if she stayed at home.
Meanwhile Maria is more interested in the handsome young teacher, Anton, who
is initially more infatuated with the more mysterious Frieda. Anton has studied
what he calls "superstition" and though his denunciation of the Brotherhood has
made him an enemy of Weill, he advises him that "if vampires exist" he should
kill them properly (not by burning at the stake but by a stake through the heart
or decapitation). Anton is
convinced of the existence of vampires when his sister falls victims to one.
One night, when Frieda attacks a member of the Brotherhood, she is captured
by her uncle and put in jail. While the Brotherhood debates, the Count and his
servants kidnap Maria and exchange her with Frieda in the cell, so that good
Maria will be burned and evil Frieda can cause more havoc. Anton goes to see
Maria, not knowing that she is actually Frieda. She tries to seduce him but
seeing her lacking a reflection in the mirror, he fights and defeats her with a
cross. Anton rushes to stop the burning, insisting that the bound girl is Maria.
She is given a cross, which she kisses, revealing her innocence. Weill is
horrified to realize he almost killed an innocent girl. Weill now listens to Anton's advice and takes some comfort with Anton's
insistence that if a vampire has a shred of goodness in their soul (which was
hinted at earlier, when Frieda was afraid she could kill her sister), death
sends them not to hell but to God. Weill and Anton lead the Brotherhood and
villagers up to Karnstein Castle. As the Count learns that the attackers are
equipped with crosses, stakes and axes, he tries to sneak out together with
Frieda through a secret way. They are surprised by Weill who beheads his niece.
Maria, feeling that something has happened to Frieda, searches for her and is
captured by the Count, who uses her as a shield. Weill challenges the Count and
is killed, but this gives Anton the opportunity to pierce the distracted Count's
heart. Anton and Maria are united.
Copyright(C) 2007
- 2020. All rights reserved.
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