MovieChat Forums > The Vampire Lovers (1970) Discussion > Was Carmilla a lesbian or suffer romanti...

Was Carmilla a lesbian or suffer romantic friendship?

posted 12 years ago by BatBanks
4 replies | jump to latest

Because based on the book what Laura said: "Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like ardour of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet overpoweing; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips travelled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "You are mine, you shall be mine, and you and I are one for ever".

And Carmilla only selected female but never male and Laura suspect Carmilla is a boy in disguise. I heard a lot reader believe Carmilla is lesbian and few (like me don't believe she's lesbian; romantic friendship or vampire instinct?) and I known lot films they made her lesbian for the men. So is she a lesbian, romantic friendship or just vampire instinct?

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] changedname 11 years ago

"I've read the original novella Carmilla a couple of times (and own the DVD of The Vampire Lovers). I think it's quite clear that Le Fanu intentionally portrayed Carmilla as a lesbian - albeit in a romantic rather than a sexual tone (this was 1872 after all!). Indeed the work was considered risque at the time for that very reason."

I don't think the Le Fanu let the fact that it was 1872 change the TONE per se. Possibly there would have been a little more graphic sex if it were a hundred years later... however I think the overall TONE of it would have remained romantic lesbianism.

[–] roman_g 8 years ago

I just read the novel by Le Fanu, and I think Carmilla prefers women to bite (like Anne Rice´s characters in "Interview with the Vampire" etc. prefer young man to bite), but she doesn´t fall in love with them.

Remember, she travels with her "mother" from house to house, always doing the same trick; pretending to have an accident or something like that, the mother goes away, Carmilla stays there as a guest and kills the women, then she disappears and went to the next one to do the same thing.

In the book, she did it to the niece of General von Spielsdorf, and after that, she goes to Laura. She only pretends to be a good friend, to be a lover-like girlfriend, flirting around. She did that for over 100 years - there is no reason why Carmilla suddenly should fall in love with Laura.

When General Spielsdorf enters the Karnstein-castle, he said that the Karnsteins was a horrible family, with a horrible history. So they were all bad, including Carmilla. And now, where Carmilla is a vampire, she is evil too and kills young women. She doesn´t fall in love.

[–] Wuchak (8187) 6 years ago

It's all an act to seduce her victims. Some she kills immediately and others -- like Laura and Emma in the movie -- she kills eventually. She's intrinsically evil and not capable of love, although she's no doubt able to have sex, but it's totally carnal with zero spiritual component. And she'll kill men & suck their blood too if it suits her purposes, like the doctor in the woods and, shortly later, the blond guy at the manor.