Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing) is the leader of a rampaging vigilante group determined to eradicate vampires and witches. Weil's job is complicated when his twin nieces move in with him, and one of them is attracted to the local bloodsucker. Frieda and Maria (Madeleine and Mary Collinson) discover the allure of sinister aristocrat Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas),and he unleashes the evil inherent in one of them ... but can Weil tell which one?

Netflix says this film features "busty teenage orphans". Not sure what to make of that. I guess it is true they do spend part of the time laying around in low-cut nightgowns, and another time the nightgown of one comes open when a crucifix is thrown at her, and they were Playboy models, but is this the selling point of the film?

From director John Hough ("Legend of Hell House"),based off of "Camilla" and being a Hammer Production, you know this is going to be good. Not sure what to make of the black servant who grunts and gesticulates wildly, being treated like Lassie, though.

Some reviews stress the way this film "tears" the audience: you do not want to root for the vampire, but you also do not want to side with the puritan. I thought the decision was pretty easy, but maybe some people get torn on issues like this.

Filmed on the same set as the better-known "Vampire Circus", this one is not to be missed. Really, any time Peter Cushing fights vampires is not to be missed.

TWINS OF EVIL is the third and final of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy and it has the most interesting storyline of all three. That's because the film combines two successful sub-genres of horror, the witch-burning film and the vampire movie. The two subjects don't necessarily go hand in hand so it's remarkable at just how successfully they combine here.

The movie is headlined by Peter Cushing in one of his most villainous performances as a witch hunter who'd give Matthew Hopkins a run for his money. Cushing spends half the movie burning innocent girls alive and the other half being a general fiend and antagonist, and what's really special is that Cushing still finds the spark of humanity deep within his character. You hate him, but a small part of you admires him despite his actions.

The Karnstein plodding is familiar stuff, with Damien Thomas an acceptable if unremarkable villain; the stuff with the twins, Mary and Madeleine Collinson, is less interesting (they weren't cast for their acting talents, after all) but they don't have an overwhelming amount of screen time. David Warbeck has a nice role as a youthful hero. As usual, TWINS OF EVIL wins out thanks to the sumptuous production values, even at this late stage of the Hammer game; the film is a visual treat of cobwebby castles, ruined graveyards, and haunted crypts, contrasting with the general bucolic charm of the period.

In the Nineteenth Century, the twin sisters Maria Gellhorn (Mary Collinson) and Frieda Gellhorn (Madeleine Collinson) become orphans and come from the progressive Venice to a small town the country of England in the lands of the Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas),who worships the devil, to live with their uncle Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing). The fanatic religious and witch finder Gustav and his secret brotherhood are in a crusade against witches and vampires, due to many deaths in the area caused indeed by their powerful enemy Count Karnstein, chasing and burning many innocent young women accused by them of witchcraft. Maria is a well-behavior woman and accepts the conditions imposed by her uncle, but when the rebel Frieda decides secretly to visit Count Karnstein in the middle of the night, the evil Count sees the opportunity to use Gustav's nieces in his revenge against Gustav.

"Twins of Evil" is another excellent production of Hammer. Peter Cushing is amazing in the role of a witch finder, and although having good intentions, in the end is an evil man in his religious fanaticism. Mary and Madeleine Collinson are delicious, being very sexy and erotic, with an unusual frontal nudity considering a 1971 production. The Gothic story is attractive for fans like me of this type of film, being more violent than other Hammer's productions; the photography is beautiful; and there are great effects, such as decapitation of Frieda. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "As Filhas de Drácula" ("The Daughters of Dracula")