the vampire movie database
Gothic
 |
 |
 |
| Release date: | 1986 UK | Running time: | 87' (cover 87') - Source: DVD (RC 1/NTSC) 83' (cover 90') - Source: VHS PAL |
Rating: | Germ.: 18; UK: 18; US: R | ||
| Main Crew: |
Director: Ken Russell (The Lair Of The White Worm 1988; Crimes of Passion 1984; Altered States 1980; Lisztomania 1975; Tommy 1975) Producer: Virgin Vision Score: Thomas Dolby Writer: Stephen Volk Director of photography: Mike Southon |
||||||
Cast: |
| Summary: |
On June 16, 1816, Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne) threw a lavish party at his Swiss villa. His guests included Percy Shelley (Julian Sands) and his future wife Mary (Natasha Richardson), Mary's half-sister Claire (Miriam Cyr), and Byron's personal physician Dr. Polidori (Timothy Spall). (Out of this meeting came the inspiration for the novel Frankenstein ). |
Byron has promised them an evening that they won't soon forget. After taking some hallucinogens, the group makes up some ghost stories and wanders the dark corridors of Byron's home. There they confront living manifestations of their fears - creative, mortal and sexual.
|
|
short review: This is definitely no vampire movie! Only once during the whole movie the word is mentioned. BUT: as it portrays the historical meeting between Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and Polidori, which led to two milestone novels (Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" and Polidori's "The Vampyre"), we thought it of enough interest for every vampirophile. Besides, it's a great horror movie with good actors in a haunting castle/surroundings, beautifully set in scene by cult-director Ken Russell.  |
