THE LADY WAS A VAMP

WHEN HAMMER Films introduced Ingrid Pitt during a press conference in January 1970, it heralded a new era for both the actress and her employer. The Vampire Lovers – based on Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 novella Carmilla – cemented Pitt’s place as one of the cult figures of the period. The tabloids salivated over the voluptuous Polish actress (born Ingoushka Petrov), who brought a touch of Eastern-European exoticism to the studio’s gothic output. The role of Marcilla/Carmilla – who preys on young women, and turns out to be ancient bloodsucker Mircalla Karnstein – kick-started the enduring image of Pitt as a sexually-charged vampire.

Speaking at her home in Richmond Park in 2006, the actress remembered the making of the film with great affection.

“We all got on really well – if you look at the promotional stills of the female cast together you can tell from looking at the pictures,” she said. “We couldn’t stop laughing on set, especially when