Talk:Lesbian vampire

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"Partially due to censorship restraints from the BBFC, Hammer's trilogy actually had less lesbian elements as it proceeded." I do not dispute the above notation about censorship, but what is the source? Zahir13 20:16, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

A large format book about Hammer Horror from my local library, which I cannot recall the name of, and which is currently not in my possession. I'll try and get hold of it when the library opens after Christmas holidays and give you the ref. From what I recall the chief UK censor of the time, one Mr Trevelyan, was somewhat knocked sidewise by the realization, after watching 'The Vampire Lovers' that there was such a thing as 'lesbianism': a thing deemed by Queen Victoria not to exist. Therefore, in the spirit which made Britain great, Mr Trevelyan monitored the sequel 'Lust for a Vampire', whilst it was in production to make sure that any girl-girl action was kept to a minimum. Apparantly a proposed scene in which Carmilla gets her teeth into a schoolgirl was cut, before it was even shot. Therefore what should have been an orgy of torrid lesbianism featuring a lesbian vampire in a girl's school strangely mutated into the sad effort which is the present film. There is also an issue of the periodical 'Little Shop of Horrors' devoted to the Karnstein Trilogy which might have more info on this....and which indeed might even be in my house somewhere....Colin4C 21:20, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Presumably that would be John Trevelyan? Zahir13 16:23, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes. I was thinking of putting more info in his article as well. I saw a copy of a book by said worthy called 'What the Censor Saw' in my local second hand book shop, which I might buy when my next pay check comes through. I think the trouble with Trevelyan was that he was caught between the advocates of permissiveness on one side and old prudish battle-axes like Mary Whitehouse on the other, and was criticised by both sides. His book is quite amusing, when you compare the philosophical musings in the text on the ethics of censorship with the explicit scenes of nudity, sex and horror in the illustrations. Colin4C 17:02, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

Just to add that in 1971 (when Lust for a Vampire was released) Britain was witnessing the bizarre Schoolkids OZ obcenity trial in which the defendents were sentenced to prison 'with hard labour' for publishing some mildly pornographic stuff in their magazine. We are a funny lot here in the UK...even without lesbian vampires...Colin4C 17:15, 27 December 2006 (UTC)