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The Velvet Vampire (18*)

Hidden Figures: Stephanie Rothman

A naked woman lies on a man in a suit in a coffin.

Stephanie Rothman subverts conventions of exploitation cinema, creating the first truly feminist vampire movie with her signature style, wit and surreal use of sun-drenched California locations.

Young couple Lee (Michael Blodgett) and Susan (Sherry Miles) meet the mysterious Diane (Celeste Yarnall), who invites them to her secluded desert home. Little do they know that this temptress is a centuries-old vampire, becoming objects of her own desires. 

With psychedelic visuals and surreal dream sequences, Rothman foregrounds sexual agency and pleasure, exploring the shifting values of the early 70s as erotic tensions arise in the Californian desert.  

Rothman plays with the conventions of the genre, prioritising a feminist perspective and playful exploration of gender roles by subverting the common trope of the male vampire, thereby allowing Diane to project her dark feminine desires. 

Tagged with: Cinema Stephanie Rothman

Please note this film contains scenes depicting sex and violence. 

£10.40

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Cinema 3