4.5
out of 5.00 -
Film:
5
Extras:
4
Video:
4
Audio:
5
-
9/17/2001
In probably one of the most anticipated adult DVD releases of 2001, James Avalon's
Les Vampyres finally makes its way onto the digital format. The winner of numerous awards and accolades since its VHS release, this well-made film is sure to garner a legion of new fans, and prepare us for the eventual release of
Les Vampyres 2.
Shot on film, and with a dark and moody look that matches the tone of the story,
Les Vampyres opens with a seductive threesome between Brick Majors, Syren and Wendi Knight. It looks like any other opening sex scene...that is, until Brick starts screaming at the end.
We are introduced to a young couple played by Ava Vincent (here, going under her previous stage name of Jewel Valmont) and Joel Lawrence. Joel is celebrating because he has just gotten a new position with a company he has been trying to get a job for. The two celebrate by having sex, but the viewer becomes suspicious when Ava demands that Joel bite her during foreplay!
Joel and Ava decide to get away for the weekend and visit a bed and breakfast-type establishment where, naturally, the only other guests are a group of three suspicious women led by Syren. Not only is Syren drawn to Ava, but there is something about her that reminds Syren of her past...something that lies at the very heart of James Avalon's dark tale.
Of course, the title and box cover of this film will let you know that these chicks are indeed vampires, but it is the mystery surrounding both Syren and Ava's history that will keep your attention and interest. Viewers will also find themselves entertained by a lesbian coupling between Ava and Syren, as well as late developments in the movie's plotline which result in Joel getting sucked off by Ava, Syren and Wendi.
A word of warning, however, to raincoaters looking to get their rocks off on some wild sex. While there is no question that
Les Vampyres is an adult movie with X-Rated sex, all of the action is consequential to the storyline, and filmed in a way that best serves the story, rather than just to turn on the viewer. It's one of those rare adult titles where the sex may be fast-forwarded to get back to the story, rather than vice versa. I will say that it is one of the few X-Rated titles I have watched where my finger wasn't poised over the remote...
Les Vampyres kept my interest, both sexually and cerebrally.
The video and audio quality on the DVD are both well-done, although the video suffers a bit since
Les Vampyres was shot-on-film, and there is some graininess to certain scenes. The bonus features are nice, but there don't seem to be enough of them to warrant a second disc. I've seen just as many features, if not more, put on a dual-layered single DVD, but perhaps a second disc was used here to increase the video and audio quality of the feature. Buyers should also note that some early copies of this film contained a box cover which listed a director's commentary on Disc A. No such commentary is included on the DVD.
Also absent from the bonus (Disc B) DVD are any screensavers or wallpaper for computer users. Although a menu page does exist listing these features as available, neither myself nor anyone I had look at the disc could find these located on the DVD.
The bonus features that are on the disc, however, are quite nice, including a cool digital comic book, which is enhanced by actual dialogue from the movie. What makes this comic so interesting is that the story continues well beyond the point that
Les Vampyres ends...including actual dialogue, which means this stuff was actually shot, but never used! Further proof that additional scenes were shot can be found on the Bloopers section, which is almost entirely made up of bloopers from scenes that are not part of
Les Vampyres. I'm guessing that what we are seeing is the bulk of
Les Vampyres 2, which means that much of the upcoming sequel was filmed back in 1999...even though more is about to be filmed at the time of this review. So the comic book and bloopers prove highly intriguing, since they include characters that we have not yet seen (including Mark Davis and Misty Rain), as well as new information about characters that has yet to be revealed...specifically an interesting fact or two about Joel Lawrence's character.
The bonus disc also includes several nice interviews with the female cast, in which some of the funniest questions you can imagine (My personal favorite, after one starlet proclaims she is well-read: "Have you ever read Clifford, The Big Red Dog?") are asked of the girls. There's also a nice behind-the-scenes featurette, as well as a slide show.
Overall,
Les Vampyres is a title that couples and those who love good stories with their porn are going to enjoy the most. I find myself looking forward to the sequel, not because I want to see these girls getting busy with each other again, but because I want to find out where James Avalon takes these characters next.
By:
Spooky