There you have it
another disillusion on my account! I had really high hopes that "The Rose of Iron" would be Jean Rollin's absolute BEST film and finally something different than those stupid lesbian-vampire films he always makes. For some inexplicable reason, his movies like "Lips of Blood" or "Requiem for a Vampire" are hugely popular among avid cult-fans, but believe me there're absolutely no quality elements to find in them. "The Rose of Iron" seemed different
The plot outline is very promising and the fact that it's so rarely known simply makes it more appealing. But only a couple of minutes into the film and you're already confronted to another load of nonsense and a giant amount of "what-the-hell"-moments. The universe in which Rollin's movies are set is just totally messed up! Dig this: a beautiful girl falls head over heels in love with a bizarre guy after he reads a morbid poem to her during some party where none of the guests seem to know each other. The next day, the young couple agrees to bike riding near an abandoned and ominous looking train-station
Okay, maybe a bit eccentric, but still acceptable. Then, they think it's a good idea to go to the local cemetery and make love inside a family-tomb!?! Perhaps I don't know anything about romance or poetry but this is just downright wrong! Anyway, night falls, they get locked in the cemetery and, shortly after, they both start to behave very strangely
especially the girl. One thing I can't deny is that the setting looks staggering. The graveyard where 90% of the movie takes place is probably the most macabre filming location in horror-history ever. The neglected ancient graves and overgrown nature look very eerie and disturbing and it's all very atmospherically photographed. Unfortunately, it's NOTHING but an empty package. The script is incredibly tedious with awful dialogues and absolutely no tension. The nudity and sleaze in Rollin's previous movies was exploitative and extremely pointless, but at least there was something to distract you! "The Rose of Iron" is tame, very un-sexy and utterly disappointing. As hilarious as it may seem, to me Rollin's most endurable movie is the laughable "Zombie Lake".
Review of The Iron Rose
