Twins Of Evil (1971)

Maria and Frieda, recently orphaned identical twin teenage girls, move from Venice to Karnstein in Central Europe to live with their uncle Gustav Weil. Weil is a stern puritan and leader of the fanatical witch-hunting 'Brotherhood'. Both twins resent their uncle's sternness and one of them, Frieda, looks for a way to escape. Resenting her uncle, she becomes fascinated by the local Count Karnstein, who has the reputation of being "a wicked man". - Wikipedia


Twins of Evil is a 1971 horror film by Hammer Film Productions starring Peter Cushing, with Damien Thomas and the real-life twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson.  It is the third film of The Karnstein Trilogy that began with The Vampire Lovers.

A lot of these later Hammer films from the early 70's during the studio's downward spiral were overlooked for 30 years.  However, looking back now it's clear that some of these films are incredibly entertaining and hold up quite well. This film pulls out all the stops.  It has everything you expect from a Hammer film....blood, sex, evil and throws in Peter Cushing as a religious nut hunting down and burning young women at the stake. During the filming, Cushing was still mourning the death of his wife and it appears he put all of that angst into his performance. He is brilliant with the complex character of Gustav, who begins as an evil misguided witch hunter and ends as a vampire hunter trying to redeem himself.

Cushing with another masterful performance.

 But as great as Cushing was, this film will forever be remembered by the twins.  The Collinson's made a few more B films after Twins, but this is their finest moment. Their acting is better than one may think when they imagine Playmates playing leading roles in a film. They certainly make the film interesting and provide a twist that other vampire films have lacked.  They also pump up the films sex appeal.

Evil strikes.....

The film was written by Tudor Gates and directed by John Hough. He presents a beautiful picture with moody atmosphere and dramatic images.  He also delivers more tease than actual nudity and sex throughout the film.  A great job is done having the emphasis on evil at both ends of the spectrum, from both the vampires and the men of god.

Fans of Hammer horror certainly should not miss out on this film.  It offers a lot of different elements that are not commonly seen in vampire films.  On a cold dark evening this is a wonderful film to put in and watch. One of the best of the latter day Hammer films.

Kevin Booker 

Trivia:
Both the Collinson twins were dubbed

Ingrid Pitt was offered the cameo role played by Katya Wyeth.

Used the same sets as Vampire Circus.