This is one of several movie treatments of a rather well-known short story by LeFanu. The plot involves a rich widower and his daughter, who come to the aid of a mother and daughter when their coach has an accident near the widower's estate. The younger woman - Carmilla - ends up staying at the estate. She forms a friendship with the daughter, who all too soon starts suffering from that old vampire movie cliche, anemia.
This version is set in an antebellum Southern plantation, rather than some old European estate. Ione Skye plays the rather naive and overprotected daughter, who is fascinated by her house guest (Meg Tilly). Carmilla, in the meantime, has more on her mind than just playing with dolls.
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This is more or less a mainstream movie, so there isn't much in the way of straightforward erotica. That adds a bit to the interest, if you are like me and find the mental seduction almost as much fun as the physical. The buildup is gradual, and the seduction of Ione Skye is more emotional than anything else. There are more long looks than caresses.
Part of the fun is seeing a young Ione Skye and a young Mel Tilly in these rolls.
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