Lemora
| Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Blackburn |
| Written by | Richard Blackburn |
| Produced by | Robert Fern |
| Starring | Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith Hy Pyke Lisley Gilb Richard Blackburn |
| Cinematography | Robert Caramico |
| Music by | Dan Neufeld |
| Distributed by | Media Cinema Group |
Release date | May 1975 |
Running time | 80 minutes (original release) 113 minutes (uncut version) |
| Language | English |
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (also called Lemora: The Lady Vampire and The Legendary Curse of Lemora) is a 1975 American horror film, written and directed by Richard Blackburn. Blackburn later gained fame as the co-writer of the Paul Bartel film Eating Raoul.
Cast
- Lila Lee--Cheryl Smith
- Lemora--Lesley Gilb
- Solange--Maxine Ballantyne
- Alvin Lee--William Whitton
- The Bus Driver--Hy Pyke
- The Reverend--Richard Blackburn
Plot
Template:Spoiler During the Prohibition era 13-year old Lila Lee, Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, seeking to visit her injured father before he dies, is menaced in a swamp by a band of mindless bloodsuckers on her way to her father's deathbed. Hy Pyke delivers his most unhinged performance, hamming it up all the way as a manic, bug-eyed bus driver who gives Lila Lee a ride to the town of Astaroth , and falls victim to mutated vampires living in the woods. She is rescued by Lemora Lesley Gilb, the vampires' unofficial queen, who takes a fancy to the girl. It seems she is the one who called the girl to her, though whether to protect her or to corrupt her remains to be seen.
Notes
Blackburn and producer Fern were students at UCLA when they devloped the idea for this film. It was produced on a shoe-string, with much of the financing coming from Blackburn's parents. Most of the film was shot in 1973; star Smith was only 17 at the time.
The movie had limited distribution during its original release. Due to its pedophilic and lesbian overtones, it was banned by the Catholic League of Decency[1]. It quickly fell into obscurity except in France, where it became something of a cult film. It was first released on video in the United States (with a mini-documentary on the film) as late as the mid-90's. Today, Lemora still remains a relatively obscure film, but it has developed a strong following in the horror fandom over the years. A DVD was released in 2004, featuring additional footage and commentary by the director and producer.
It's a dreamlike, atmospheric film very much unlike other American horror films of the time, being very erotic in mood, has an aura of dreamy surrealism and is richly colorful,reminiscent of the works of French director Jean Rollin (whom Blackburn was apparently unfamiliar with) and strongly influenced by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and possibly, to a lesser extent, Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu. On his DVD commentary track to Lemora, Blackburn also cites authors Arthur Machen's story The White People a tale of childhood innocence with horrific overtones and Mervyn Peake as influences. Set in the American South of the 30's, in a way Lemora can also be described as a Southern Gothic fable.
It has also generated some degree of interest among gothic rock subculture and vampire fetishists. Lemora has also inspired at least two rock bands, the British gothic rock combo The Ghost of Lemora and the American black metal band Lemora.
References
External links
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