John Hough (1) (1941–)

The final part of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy sees a strange mash-up of the vampire and witch-hunting, with the anti-aristocracy theme prevalent in most of Hammer's work moving from subtext to be almost fore-fronted in the narrative. The script by Tudor Gates sees two orphaned twins - Maria and Frieda (the Collinson Twins) - being sent to live with their religiously austere uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing) who is the leader of a vigilante witch-hunting group. Meanwhile the vampiric, devil-worshipping Count Karnstein is wreaking his own murderous havoc and "bad" twin Frieda is soon falling under his evil spell. Directed by John Hough who delivers the classic Gothic Hammer style in spades. Along with cinematographer Dick Bush he delivers an elegantly-staged, at times beautiful looking film, full of eerie castle catacombs (lit in a fantastic array of reds and greens), misty graveyards and creepy forests. The period detail along with the great sets and costuming add immensely to the overall look and feel of the film. There are the requisite splashes of gore and mild violence but the erotic elements are surprisingly toned down from the two previous entries - "Vampire Lovers" and "Lust For a Vampire". Peter Cushing gives a fabulous, out-of-character performance as the merciless Weil, a man consumed by his own religious passions and sanctimony. Cushing brings an undercurrent of sexual frustration and implied misogyny to the role and delivers one of his finest performances. Damien Thomas brings a decadent, dandiness to the role of Karnstein and former Playmates Madeleine and Mary Collinson are appropriately innocent and erotic. Overall "Twins of Evil" is a lovely film with a great visual style and plenty of appealing atmospherics. Peter Cushing delivers one of his very best performances helping elevate "Twins of Evil" into one of Hammer's best early '70s efforts.… (mere)