A Shortage of Playmates

By Rich Moreland, Febraury 2013

Rather than move the story forward in dramatic fashion, this episode, called “You’re Going to Bring Another Whore Into This Clan,” is a set-up piece for the remainder of the film.

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Once again the opening image is the Victory Column as seen from Manuel’s hotel room. The anthropologist is doing some academic work searching the internet for vampire lore, especially the ancient tale of returning a vampire to humanity.

He finds a website that fulfills his search and discovers the deed can be done. The predominant image on the webpage is a girl floating face up in water. No surprise here, water and life are conflated again. The recipe calls for holly water (a variant of holy water) and a priest.

Reenter Father Zoltan who warns Manuel that such attempt is risky and could cost Amira her life. He suggests Manuel consider becoming a vampire and there is a hint of recruitment here that will be shortly revealed.

“But that’s her choice,” Manuel says.

Clearly John Stagliano, who is well-known for promoting the careers female performers and directors, uses this moment to make a political statement about the right of a woman to own her sexuality and to determine her future.

Father Zoltan is on board to give it a try, but there is a feeling, if ever so vague, that there is a trap to be sprung.

We Want More Men

The scene shifts to the vampire house and the room where Amira experienced her sexual chastisement at the hands of the Vampire Mistress. Sandra Romain’s Mistress role is back and she is playing with two other female vampires. What makes this warm-up with the trio interesting is Stagliano’s use of neon tones and day glow paint to give the scene a surreal quality that recollects the psychedelic days of yesteryear.

There’s a lot here for viewers who have a foot fetish and at one point the colors become fiery and hellish, certainly an image that fits the film. In a brief moment the glass of the enclosed area becomes a barrier between the Vampire Mistress and the girl she wants to kiss, who is masturbating on the other side.  A sense of frustration invades the room. The Vampire Mistress and Ivana Sugar’s newly “christened” (pardon the pun) vampire are left to playing among themselves.

Shortly, Dracu enters with what porn people love the call the “new girl.” Though he sports an devilish grin, Dracu does not get the welcome he anticipated.

One of the vampires vents her anger at him. He is delivering another whore into the clan when what they really need are men.

“We want more men!” the Vampire Mistress shouts.

She slaps Dracu’s face and demands to know if he understands.

Certainly he does, but does he care?

The three frustrated vampires leave the room and Dracu has his way with this latest whore who incidentally is played by Alice Romain, Sandra’s little sister.

The sex between Dracu and the blood slave is some of the best in the film. Alice Romain deserves high praise. Needless to say, the day glow paint, which is smeared everywhere like a child’s finger painting compliments the psychedelic feeling of the shoot.

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By now, the suggestion to Manuel that he become a vampire is well-founded. If he did make the move, likely he’d have plenty of playmates for centuries to come.

Yet, there is a hint of trouble ahead. Even among the undead, drudgery, the same recipe over again, produces unhappiness. Is there a workers’ strike in the making in Vampireland?