Thursday, March 16, 2023

Castles Made of Sang

Acanthus - Le Frisson des Vampires
Les Frisson des Vampires soundtrack, 1971
 
 
Doubt Les Frisson des Vampire AKA The Shiver of the Vampires would make it in my personal Top Five films by fantastique director Jean Rollin, but I do know it's blessed with an incredible soundtrack that I sadly still don't own a physical copy of due to it being OOP and selling for stupid prices.

Les Frisson des Vampire OST is comprised of some very short and sweet acid folk and trippy sound effects which provide Rollin's film with one of the most haunting soundscapes from that period. Highlights include Isolde, Sleeping Beauty (Samba des Vampires), Flightless Bird, Envol Vers la Folie and of course the title track, Le Frisson des Vampires.

The band Acanthus was an alias to the Gallic, teen, psycherock group Unity. During their very short time together, they only released two singles; their final effort O Wa Nou Me Nou Ma, featured a fitting homage to guitar god Jimi Hendrix for its B-side song. Not sure if Rollin gave them the soundtrack gig on these tunes alone, but I am thankful his film led me to their head-nodding, fleur power number, regardless.

Unity - Jimi (En Hommage A Jimi Hendrix)
O Wa Nou Me Nou Ma single B-side, 1970 
 

Dada Debaser Bonus:
There must have been something in the Perrier in 1971, since the Belgian erotic vampire film Daughters of Darkness* was also blessed with a magnifique soundtrack by the French composer, François de Roubaix. Sample heaven ever since.
 
François de Roubaix - Amour sur les Rails
Daughters of Darkness soundtrack, 1971
 

* Daughters of Darkness happens to be a film with Delphine Seyrig in it where I'm not instantly repelled by anyone hailing it as a classic film, unlike the overrated shite that is Last Year at Marienbad (1961), or Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975); a film that I refuse to waste three hours of my life while she cotches in a kitchen.

2 comments:

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Proper 70s Euro lesbian vampire impending dread vybz in that first song. Killer. Fang you very much.

Spartan said...

Agreed.

Thankfully James Corden wasn't around in the early seventies to ruin the scene like he did in Lesbian Vampire Killers.