The Karnstein Trilogy

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The Karnstein Trilogy of films were produced by Hammer Films, and were notable at the time for being somewhat daring in explicitly depicting lesbian themes. All three films were scripted by Tudor Gates. The films in the trilogy are:

• The Vampire Lovers (1970), featuring Polish born British actress Ingrid Pitt in the starring role. The Vampire Lovers was based on the novella 'Carmilla' by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. This film is generally thought to be the closest adaptation of the story and is among the most popular.
• Lust for a Vampire (1971), featuring Danish born actress Yutte Stensgaard as Mircalla. The film is a loose sequel to The Vampire Lovers and can be considered as either a sequel or a stand alone film, based on the character and made by the same production company.
• Twins of Evil (1972), featuring German actress Katya Wyeth as the countess. She is however only briefly seen in the film, as most of the plot revolves around two sisters Frieda and Maria Gellhorn (Played by twin play mates Mary Collinson and Madeleine Collinson who become the objects of desire for Mircalla's descendant, the evil Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas). It is usually seen as a prequel to The Vampire Lovers, as the set design and costumes give the film a 17th Century look and feel. Some consider this better than the original film, though others do not.

A planned fourth film in the series, variously announced as Vampire Virgins and Vampire Hunters, never went beyond the early draft stage.

The mythology of the Karnstein films is different to that of Hammer's Dracula series: the Karnstein vampires, for instance, are immune to both sunlight and fire.