''Les deux orphelines vampires'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''Two Orphan Vampires'') is a 1997 French fantasy horror/drama film directed by

Jean Rollin Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre. Rollin's career, spanning over fifty years, featured early short films a ...

. The film was an adaptation of Rollin's novel of the same name. Rollin was primarily known for his

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

-themed works, but ''Les deux orphelines vampires'' was actually Rollin's first vampire film since 1979's ''

Fascination Fascination may refer to: Film and television * ''Fascination'' (1931 film), a British film directed by Miles Mander * ''Fascination'' (1979 film), a 1979 film directed by Jean Rollin * ''Fascination'' (1922 film), a 1922 silent film starring Mae ...

''.

Plot

Louise and Henriette are a pair of orphaned sisters, innocent and sightless. After sunset, though, they begin to see (although they see everything through a shade of blue) and to crave blood. The girls embark on a journey through the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to find victims and quench their thirst, otherwise they would die. Their only refuges are the cemeteries, where they find solitude and piece together the fragmented memories of their past lives.

Cast

* Alexandra Pic as Louise * Isabelle Teboul as Henriette * Bernard Charnacé as Dr. Dennary *

Nathalie Perrey Nathalie Perrey (born Marie–Therese Amelie Perrey; 28 February 1929 – 25 March 2012) was a French actress, best known for her many years working with director Jean Rollin. Her long career also included regular work as a film editor and s ...

as Sister Marthe * Anne Duguël as Mother Superior * Nathalie Karsenty * Anissa Berkani-Rohmer as Nicole * Raymond Audemard *

Tina Aumont Maria Christina "Tina" Aumont (February 14, 1946 – October 28, 2006) was a French and American actress. She was the daughter of French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont and Dominican actress Maria Montez. She made her acting debut in the British film ...

as Ghoul * Catherine Day *

Camille Delamarre Camille Delamarre is a French film editor and director, best known for directing '' The Transporter Refueled'' and '' Brick Mansions''. He edited films including ''Transporter 3'' and ''Taken 2'', among others. Career In 2014, Delamarre made h ...

* Véronique Djaouti as Venus * Michel Franck * Frederique Haymann * Paulette Jauffre

Production

The film was shot on location in Paris and New York. The same locations were used in Rollin's 1989 film ''

Perdues dans New York ''Perdues dans New York'' ( English: ''Lost in New York'') is a 1989 French television film written and directed by Jean Rollin, who is most notable for his cult vampire films. In the 2010s, the film went viral when clips were used in an unoffi ...

'' (''Lost in New York'').

Reception

The film has received mixed reviews. Online reviewer DVD Resurrections has said that the film is "fairly good if one is in the right mood", and gave the film 6.5 out of 10. Online reviewer Digital Vampiric Discs has said, "You'll probably find it boring if you're not used to Rollin's style, and even if you are you'll probably have to be in the mood for this one". Götterdämmerung said that it is "an interesting little film that is a bit plodding in places and that requires some patience to decide", and that "nevertheless a rewarding viewing experience".

Home media

''Les deux orphelines vampires'' was released by

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

in 1997 and on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

in 2012. It was remastered and released in

4K UHD Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed by ...

by Powerhouse Films in May 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deux orphelines vampires, Les 1997 films 1990s French-language films French dark fantasy films French vampire films Films based on French novels Films shot in New York City Films shot in Paris 1990s French films Films directed by Jean Rollin