Here are my excellent model friends that generously took part in an already legendary photoshoot:

I created an entire website for this project and you can expect the announcement of other themes on these very pages. Big thanks to the whole team and everyone who supported us!

One of the most astonishingly beautiful starlet of the seventies was Barbara Leigh. Oh yes. With barely 10 motion pictures in her credits and some TV appearances, it’s a real shame that she didn’t became a more bigger star. Still, she’s remembered to this day as a near perfect female beauty, and many fans recall that she was a top Vampirella model (and the first), hence her inclusion right here in this tribute.

Barbara posed for now classic Vampirella magazine covers, sought-out collector’s items. In fact, it was announced in 1975 that she was cast as the heroine for a major movie produced by celebrated Hammer Films. But the studio was on the verge of collapse in the mid-seventies, and that project was never meant to be, even if big cheese Michael Carreras has promised a many pictures deal. This deception resulted in Barbara more and more distancing herself from the acting business. A real shame, because things were well on their way, as veteran Peter Cushing has already been cast and director John Hough was a strong possibility. Difficulties regarding who owned the rights of the characters were also a factor.

Even then, she’s still seen as the “Original Vampirella” and probably one of the best person to portray the role “live”. Cult Sirens will pay a more definitive homage to Barbara very soon.

The elegant Gloria Holden elegantly plays Countess Marya Zaleska in 1936’s Dracula Daughter, the title role to be exact. This role has been saluted for its subtle hints of lesbianism and seen today, the whole product still contains many themes that have aged very well. Don’t expect to see fangs, blood or big fight scenes here: this movie is all about atmosphere, and it succeeds very well at it, suggesting a sensual languor that clings automatically to the brain. Interestingly, the plot starts just after the conclusion of 1931’s Dracula. Bela Lugosi was supposed to be in it, even took part in some publicity stills, but it was not meant to be after original director James Whale’s departure. Ironically, Bela received one of his most lucrative salaries, for a film in didn’t even appear in!

This is Gloria Holden’s most famous role, in a movie career that started in 1934 and finished in 1958. She was Universal’s second female movie “monster”, after the much-celebrated Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein the year before. It has been reported that Ms. Holden only blinks once in the whole 71 minutes production! Highly recommended.

Was the much anticipated movie version of the Vampirella comic book a piece of crap? I’m afraid it is, with Roger Daltrey as some sort of Dracula (?) slicing the ham a bit too thick. There’s also a scene that I still consider the worst special effect that I ever had the misfortune to witness in a motion picture: an amazing shot of a vampire bat. You’ll understand when seeing it.

But still, there was Talisa Soto in that costume. Was Talisa a good choice to portray the vampire heroine? I have no clue, as the script leaves her a bit too passive to my taste. Anyway, the sight of her remains awesome and there’s a perverse pleasure in watching Vampirella these days.

Of course, there was no franchise created after this movie’s dismal reviews and straight to video release. But who knows in these times of comic book adaptations craze if there’s still hope? Executed properly, being faithful to the core of the Vampirella mythos would make an amazing project.

She’s not your typical long-fanged vampire, that’s for sure. In fact, there’s nothing classical about this pale stranger. But indeed she likes blood and can’t really seem to survive without it. This creature is found by a cameraman who is obsessed with capturing fear and death on his camera. Let’s just say that an interesting relationship will develop between the two.

2004’s Marebito is one hell of an original movie, with a premise that fits well in these modern and technological times. Tomomi Miyashita plays a new kind of bloodsucker and she gives the creeps every time she’s on screen. No romantic or gothic vampire here, just an uncannily beautiful leech-like little monster.

(If you have time to waste, go compare the Asian DVD jackets with their North American counterparts! Aren’t we prude or what?)

Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood at least suggested Angie Everhart as a vampire queen. Angie had recently started an acting career after being a sought-after supermodel. Her fiery red hair in this role was a welcome change from the usual morbid and dark vampiress of the movies. So we now had an interesting looking character in a sometimes amusing plot based on a successful horror television show. I remember seeing this in a theatre where I was the only patron.

In my mind more than any bloodsucker role, the fact that Angie dated Joe Pesci remains quite a more fantastic situation…

I talked to you about Kyra before, didn’t I? Of course I did. Last Sunday saw a project of mine come to life, as I had six gorgeous models for a vampire-themed photo shoot. What a fantastic time we had! Now I don’t have the official photographic product yet, but as a teaser here’s one my favorite personal shot:

The results of all this will be available around Halloween time, when I’ll share with you a site entirely dedicated to that storyline. Yes, there’s a new reigning Queen on the horizon…

Don’t forget to stop by Kyra’s Eyes, BTW! She will adore the attention!

Rise: Blood Hunter is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination but it entertained me, for some reasons. These modern vampire movies sometimes get on my nerves in trying to define portraits of bloodsuckers as tragic, romantic figures, struggling inside some underground secret societies. We should blame Anne Rice, I presume, but I digress.

Lucy Liu in Rise: Blood Hunter plays a reporter that becomes a vampire during a strange investigation. Let’s say that she’s not pleased in discovering her state and its limitations. In the proceedings, Ms. Liu gets naked often. Or is tied up a couple of times. She even gets naked and tied up upside down! Does these scenes justify going through a 122 minutes movie in its uncut version? You tell me. I went through it… and am I complaining?

Poor box-office and critical reception will probably result in no sequels for this potential franchise… or maybe a follow-up straight to DVD with another actress in the Lucy Liu role.

What happened to her exactly since Kill Bill? She had become a high profile Hollywood starlet, working in some blockbusters and independent projects, but it seemed to fizzle out for her. She’s doing more TV work and voice-overs these days. I’m still a big fan of her freckles, though.

Here’s an upcoming project that I cooked up: I’m setting up a photoshoot in a couple of weeks involving nearly a dozen ladyfriends, with all of them dressed up as vampires. I’ll create a sweet little web page with as many pictures as possible, but first all these distinguished guests will be reinvited for an Halloween party where I’ll give them a personalized CD with their own photos on it. What an incredible and creative guy am I. And nice too.

This got me thinking about female vampires of the movies. Since I’m due to launch a new series for this blog, things couldn’t fall in place in a better way.

So here’s a photo of Andrée Melly, one of the Brides of Dracula in the 1960 classic Hammer Films production. Playing Gina, Andrée was actually born in England, despite a French-sounding name. She was more seen on British TV during her acting career, which sporadically lasted until 1990. For myself as a child and seeing Brides of Dracula for the first time on television, the vision of Andrée with her large hungry eyes and awesome fangs was a bit much… But even at a young age, some deep part of me could still understand the dangerous dose of sex-appeal going on, as I was memorized by that beautiful but lethal creature.

And isn’t this the appeal of all these characters? Gorgeous temptresses promising untold pleasure in an undead world? How would you resist the temptation? Could any of us tolerate the ecstacy? This is what we will try to found out in this series, mainly by introducing the most alluring female blood-suckers coming from the world of Cinema.