A masquerade ball awakens forbidden desires and ancient vampiric curses on a lush European estate.
BLOOD AND ROSES
Ghoul or Girl?
A lonely and bitter young heiress - jealous of her cousin's engagement to another woman - becomes dangerously obsessed with legends surrounding a vampire ancestor, who supposedly murdered the young brides of the man she loved. The spirit of a vengeful female vampire is released from her grave and possesses a wealthy young woman of nobility, who preys on other women in her village.
Quick Answer
Blood and Roses is a 1960 French-Italian horror romance film directed by Roger Vadim about a young heiress haunted by her family's vampire legacy and her obsession with her cousin's fiancée.
Programmer's Pick
Roger Vadim serves up a heady cocktail of gothic horror and sensual yearning, swirling sapphic undertones and ancestral curses through moonlit corridors. Blood and Roses isn't just about the undead—it's about desires that refuse to stay buried.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Why This Matters
Roger Vadim’s adaptation of Le Fanu’s Carmilla relocates the classic vampire tale to 20th-century Italy and was uniquely produced in both French and English versions, with actors performing scenes in both languages.
Cast & Crew
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Why Cult
The film revels in themes of lesbian attraction and sexual tension, pushing boundaries for its era with suggestive scenes and longing glances.
Sumptuous set pieces—from masquerade balls to ancestral catacombs—immerse viewers in a hauntingly beautiful landscape.
Ancestral vampirism and possession drive the plot, as Carmilla becomes entangled with the spirit of her seductive vampire forebear.
Elements of surrealism and oneiric imagery heighten the film’s dreamlike, erotically charged horror.
Scene Gallery
Threat File
Fireworks accident disturbs ancestral catacomb
Possession by vampire ancestor's spirit
Carmilla preys on other women in her village
European estate and surrounding ruins
Questions from the Vault
When was Blood and Roses released? +
Blood and Roses was released in 1960.
Who directed Blood and Roses? +
Blood and Roses was directed by Roger Vadim.
How long is Blood and Roses? +
Blood and Roses has a runtime of 79 minutes.
What genre is Blood and Roses? +
Blood and Roses is a horror romance film.
Where can I watch Blood and Roses? +
Blood and Roses is available to stream on SassyFlix.
How is the vampire spirit released in Blood and Roses? +
A fireworks accident during a masquerade ball explodes munitions left over from World War II, disturbing the ancestral catacomb and unleashing the vampire ancestor’s spirit.
Why does Carmilla wear her ancestor's vampire dress? +
Carmilla dons the dress during the masquerade ball, symbolically connecting herself to her family's dark legacy just as supernatural events begin to unfold.
Trailers & Clips
