The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance

Lore & Background

The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance was shot between November and December 1974 at Piccolomini Castle in Balsorano, Castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano, Lake Bracciano, and Icet De Paolis Studios in Milan. Actress Krista Nell was originally cast as the lead but took a secondary role due to her leukemia; she died one month after the film's release. The film was distributed by P.A.B. Film and faced censorship from the Italian board of censors, who objected to erotic content including a lesbian encounter and a sex scene between Evelyn and the Count. In France, the 1977 release L'insatiable Samantha (La sangsue) kept the sex scenes intact and added hardcore footage.

Reader's Guide

The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance is notable as the only horror film directed by Alfredo Rizzo, who had previously worked primarily as an actor. The film's plot involves a count who believes an old family curse is responsible for decapitations at his castle. Retrospective reviews have been critical: AllMovie described it as 'a fairly ordinary giallo thriller' and noted that Rizzo 'appears to have made the whole thing up as he went along.' Roberto Curti called the film's ineptitude 'jaw-dropping,' pointing out that a lake is used to represent the sea and that a storm sequence uses black-and-white stock footage in a color film. Curti also declared the ending 'one of the most unclimactic endings ever seen in a horror movie.' The film was released on home video in Italy as Il marchio di Satana.

Did You Know?

• The film was shot at Piccolomini Castle in Balsorano and Lake Bracciano, among other locations.
• Actress Krista Nell died of leukemia one month after the film's release.
• The French release L'insatiable Samantha (La sangsue) included hardcore footage not in the original.