The Rape of the Vampire

(Jean Rollin, 1968)
Release date: 21 August 2023
Limited Edition 4K UHD (World premiere)

Jean Rollin’s startling debut feature, 1968’s The Rape of the Vampire (Le Viol du vampire), introduces his unique take on vampirism, establishing the blend of surrealism, eroticism, and horror that would become his trademark.

In the film's first part, four strange women living in a decrepit château – and all believing themselves to be ancient vampires – are visited by a psychoanalyst who attempts to rid them of their apparent delusion. In the second, the Queen of the Vampires presides over a diabolical clinic, unaware that the head doctor is plotting against her.

With its surreal black-and-white images and riveting free-jazz score by François Tusques, The Rape of the Vampire was released in Paris to a scandalised response during the chaos of May ’68, heralding the arrival of a major new talent in the fantastique cinema. This new edition also includes Rollin’s 1965 short The Far Countries (Les Pays loin) restored in 4K.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD SPECIAL FEATURES

• New 4K HDR restoration from the original negative by Powerhouse Films
• 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original French mono soundtrack
• Audio commentary with writer-director Jean Rollin (2007)
• Audio commentary with film expert and author Tim Lucas (2023)
• Jean Rollin Introduces ‘The Rape of the Vampire’ (1998): filmed appraisal
• Jean Rollin on ‘The Rape of the Vampire’ (2007): the director in conversation with festival programmer and journalist Joshua T Gravel at the Fantasia Film Festival, Montreal
• Fragments of Pavement Under Sand (2023): updated documentary on the making of The Rape of the Vampire, directed by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, and including interviews with key collaborators Jean-Denis Bonan, Jean-Pierre Bouyxou and Jean-Loup Philippe
• New interview with Jean-Denis Bonan, editor of The Rape of the Vampire and assistant director on The Far Countries (2023)
• Newly edited archival interview with actor Jacqueline Sieger (2023)
• Newly edited archival interview with actor Alain Yves Beaujour (2023)
• Newly edited archival interview with actor Jean-Loup Philippe (2023)
• Newly edited archival interview with composer François Tusques (2023)
• Critical appreciation by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy (2023)
• Alternative scene
• Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
• 4K restoration of The Far Countries (Les Pays loins, 1965): Rollin’s second fictional short film tells of a couple lost in a maze of streets who can’t remember how they got there
• The Far Countries audio commentary with Rollin (2007)
• L’Itinéraire Souvenir (2018): artistic reconstruction of Rollin’s lost work from 1962 by filmmakers Victor Poucalow and Raja Tawil
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image galleries: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes
• New and improved English translation subtitles
• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Beatrice Loayza, archival writing by Jean Rollin on the making of the film, an archival interview with the director by Peter Blumenstock, Jean Rollin’s recollections of shooting The Far Countries, and full film credits
• World premiere on 4K UHD
• Limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US