...to all but the most rabid of Hammer fans, "Twins of Evil" is primarily notable for featuring the Collinson sisters, Playboy magazine's first twin centerfold Playmates. Yay! Directed by a young John "The Avengers" Hough, who went on to helm a cult genre classic, "The Legend of Hell House," defected to Disney and ultimately ended his career with the horrendous "Bad Karma," this final entry in the Hammer "Carmilla" trilogy is easily the weakest of the lot. Cadging sets from "Circus of Vampires" and a spaghetti-Western score from the same guy who did much better with the two previous legs of the triptych, "Twins of Evil" doesn't even live up to its title, since only one of the perky pair is "bad," emphasized by her being the one willing to show off her perky pair a great deal more than the other, and even then not until the final act.
The simplistic storyline isn't helped by mostly uninspired dialog (with a few semi-choice exceptions), Hough's indifferent direction, and a cast that seems to know they aren't part of anything overly special. Peter "You have to ask?" Cushing is the only real stand-out, and his wife's recent death undoubtedly had much to do with his wrought appearance and terse delivery. Relative newcomer, Damien "My best years are definitely ahead of me" Thomas hams up the ostensible bad guy to the point where he's more ludicrous than scary, and even the best part of the Collinson twins' performance is the dubbing, never mind the perkies. David "Trog" Warbeck wrestles manfully with the heroic lead, but really can't overcome the script's leaden nature.
Oh, well, at least they wrapped up the "franchise." Say, isn't it about time for Hollywood to appropriate it and suck it dry with a series of remakes? Satan forbid...
The simplistic storyline isn't helped by mostly uninspired dialog (with a few semi-choice exceptions), Hough's indifferent direction, and a cast that seems to know they aren't part of anything overly special. Peter "You have to ask?" Cushing is the only real stand-out, and his wife's recent death undoubtedly had much to do with his wrought appearance and terse delivery. Relative newcomer, Damien "My best years are definitely ahead of me" Thomas hams up the ostensible bad guy to the point where he's more ludicrous than scary, and even the best part of the Collinson twins' performance is the dubbing, never mind the perkies. David "Trog" Warbeck wrestles manfully with the heroic lead, but really can't overcome the script's leaden nature.
Oh, well, at least they wrapped up the "franchise." Say, isn't it about time for Hollywood to appropriate it and suck it dry with a series of remakes? Satan forbid...