Vampyros Lesbos (1971) (4K Ultra HD Review)
DIRECTED BY: Jess Franco
STARRING: Soledad Miranda, Ewa Strömberg, Dennis Price
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:66/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 2
AVAILABLE FROM Severin Films
Diving into Vampyros Lesbos is a bit like willingly stepping into a lava lamp—mesmerizing, oddly hypnotic, and you’re never quite sure if anything is actually happening or if you’ve just been staring at colors for 90 minutes. That’s pretty much the Jess Franco experience in a nutshell.
Now, I’ll be upfront: this isn’t really my kind of movie. Plot takes a backseat, logic gets shoved in the trunk, and pacing is more “dreamlike drift” than “forward momentum.” But even I can’t deny that Vampyros Lesbos has a reputation. It’s easily one of Franco’s most popular films, and for good reason—it leans all the way into its surreal, erotic, psychedelic vibe and somehow makes that its entire identity.
And let’s talk about that poster art. You’ve seen it. Even if you think you haven’t, you have. It’s iconic—bold, striking, and endlessly parodied across pop culture. The movie itself almost feels like it exists to justify that poster, which might honestly be the most efficient filmmaking Franco ever did.
As for the film itself? It’s a hazy mix of vampires, jazz, and soft-focus everything, anchored by Soledad Miranda’s undeniable screen presence. Scenes stretch on, music loops like it’s stuck in a time warp, and the whole thing feels less like a movie and more like an extended mood piece. Whether that mood works for you is… very much a personal decision.
Thankfully, Severin Films swoops in to give this trippy relic the kind of prestige treatment it probably never asked for but absolutely benefits from. This new 4K release looks far better than you’d expect—colors pop, detail is sharper, and the whole thing feels like it’s finally being presented with some real care. It’s one of those transfers that makes you go, “Wait, this is the movie they chose to make look amazing?” And yet, here we are.
The extras are nothing to scoff at either, with a solid lineup of bonus features that dig into Franco’s career and the film’s legacy. It’s the kind of package that fans will eat up and newcomers might use as a survival guide to figure out what they just watched.
So while Vampyros Lesbos still isn’t exactly my go-to vibe, I get it. It’s stylish, it’s weird, it’s influential in its own offbeat way—and thanks to this 4K release, it’s never looked better while being all of those things.
Extras
DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters Of Darkness
- Audio Commentary with film professor Aaron AuBuchon and Oscarbate Film Collective’s John Dickson and Will Morris
- German Trailer
- Original German audio, with English subtitles
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, author of Daughters Of Darkness
- Audio Commentary with film professor Aaron AuBuchon and Oscarbate Film Collective’s John Dickson and Will Morris
- Interlude In Lesbos – Interview With Director Jess Franco
- Fever Dracula – Interview With Stephen Thrower, Author Of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema Of Jesús Franco
- The Red Scarf Diaries – A Jess Franco Career Appreciation By Academy Award®-Winning Filmmaker Sean Baker
- In The Land Of Franco Part 12
- Sublime Soledad – Interview With Soledad Miranda Historian Amy Brown
- Jess Is Yoda
- German Opening Title Sequence
- German Trailer
- Original German audio, with English subtitles
- REGION-FREE
