We watched Twins of Evil from 1971. Or rewatched it, I should say. This is the last film in the Karnstein Trilogy, the third Hammer horror film based very loosely on Le Fanu’s “Carmilla”.

Mircalla/Carmilla shows up momentarily to push along the plot, and then vanishes. Peter Cushing was in The Vampire Lovers (first in the series) but is a totally different character here. Just don’t worry about any continuity between the films. Or within the film, really.

Oh yes, there ARE twins! Upright and uptight Puritan witch-hunter Cushing becomes the guardian of two nubile Italian sisters (no accents). One is nice but one is very naughty! They become prey to a debased aristocratic vampire played by Damien Thomas.

The twins acquit themselves pretty well here despite being picked for the project based on their Playboy centerfold. This wasn’t that unusual for Hammer. Playmate Susan Denberg costarred in Frankenstein Created Woman. Victoria Veltri starred in a dinosaur film the year before.

The sets are high quality by late Hammer standards and most of the acting is very good. Later Hammer gets a bad reputation but this is definitely worth seeing. It’s politically incorrect by today’s standards. Violence and nudity are plentiful but at least to me that’s fine.

Burning witches on a stake that’s actually a tree in the middle of a forest only works in horror films. Please don’t try this at home.

I’d rate this 8/10 but honestly it’s a 10/10 if you let me cast away my objectivity. And yes, part of the reason is the Collinson twins. But Peter Cushing too! It’s extreme by Hammer standards, with one of the twins going full frontal (I can’t tell them apart) and gore aplenty.