The object of a fast-growing international cult, the late Jean Rollin (who passed away in 2010) made truly independent works that were largely ignored during his lifetime. Usually classified as a maker of horror films, Rollin is perhaps actually closer to a tradition of cinematic reverie exemplified by Cocteau and Franju. Considered his first mature work, The Shiver of Vampires begins with a common horror film premise: two attractive newlyweds, off on their honeymoon, stop for the evening in a picturesque castle. Little do they realize that the castle is headquarters for a parcel of lesbian vampires, who take them in and subject them to long discourses about the origins of religion. Creepy, outrageous, and occasionally touching, The Shiver of Vampires is an excellent introduction to the very singular work of Jean Rollin.