#buxomofdracula

Starring: Velvet Vonn as Lilith Dracula Directed by: Rocco DeMontez Genre: Gothic sexploitation · Vampire horror Tagline:“She doesn’t bite... unless you beg.”

🩸 Synopsis

Producers wanted Hammer horror — but hotter. Enter BuXom of Dracula, a low-budget shocker dripping in cleavage, candlewax, and carnal hunger. Velvet Vonn stars as Lilith Dracula, a seductive bloodsucker who preys almost exclusively on young, innocent women.

As her midnight appetite spreads across a girls’ finishing school, a brooding professor (think Van Helsing with a mustache and whiskey breath) vows to stop her. But Lilith isn’t just deadly — she’s irresistible.

🌟 Mondo Trivia

Filmed entirely in Hollywood using borrowed castle sets and recycled fog machines.

Velvet Vonn’s first major role, establishing her as a queen of gothic sleaze.

Features the screen debut of Lola Lush as Lilith’s first victim — a role that led to her appearance in the cult documentary Groupies Unchained (1975).

Several scenes were re-shot to tone down the lesbian overtones — most ended up in the European cut anyway.

Rocco DeMontez, a former soap director, claimed he was “possessed by erotic spirits” during production.

Born: March 3, 1955 – Van Nuys, California Birth name: Lorraine Lucille Schroeder Active years: 1973–1988 (film), 1984–1999 (television) Height: 5’4” (163 cm) Measurements: 36-22-35 Trademark: Sweet face, soft voice, sudden menace

Biography

Starting her career as a soft-spoken ingénue with big eyes and a bigger bust, Lola Lush became one of the most recognizable faces of 1970s sexploitation and slasher cinema. A native of Van Nuys, she was discovered during a regional pageant and quickly cast in BuXom of Dracula (1973), where her doomed schoolgirl Rebecca was the first to fall under the spell of the vampiric Lilith Dracula.

Despite her innocent aura, Lola wasn’t afraid to blur the lines between tease and terror. She played herself—or a wild version of it—in the controversial faux-documentary Groupies Unchaind (1975), before shocking audiences in the cult slasher Scalpel Candy (1978), where she delivered scalpels and screams in equal measure.

In the 1980s, she re-emerged on television as Tiffany LaRue, a conniving vixen on the daytime soap Hearts Aflame. Her performances there won her a whole new fanbase, while her early films gained a second life on VHS and midnight TV. Known for her mix of sweetness and sinister energy, Lola Lush remains a beloved cult figure in both horror and camp circles.

Notable Films

🎬 BuXom of Dracula (1973)

“At St. Agatha’s, the girls are dying to graduate…” Lola debuts as Rebecca, a shy student at an exclusive finishing school who becomes Lilith Dracula’s first victim. Her candlelit confrontation in the dormitory remains a fan-favorite moment.

🎬 Groupies Unchaind (1975)

“Peace, pills, and backstage passes…” A scandalous entry in the mondo wave, this film features Lola as a version of herself—dancing, flirting, and confessing to wild nights with fictional rock bands. Banned in several regions upon release.

🎬 Scalpel Candy (1978)

“She’ll take your temperature… and your life.” Lola stars as Nurse Julie, the wide-eyed new staffer at a rundown hospital stalked by a killer. In a shock twist, she turns out to be the murderer herself—delivering one of exploitation cinema’s most gleefully demented villain reveals.

🎀 Trivia

Lola originally auditioned for the role of Lilith Dracula but was considered “too soft” for the part. Director Rocco DeMontez cast her as a victim instead, saying “she made death look delicate.”

Her most famous line, “Open wide…”, from Scalpel Candy (1978) was improvised on set.

Born: February 14, 1950 – Helsinki, Finland Birth name: Virva-Liisa Valkonen Active years: 1973–1979 Height: 5’7” (170 cm) Measurements: 40-24-36 Trademark: Platinum blonde bombshell looks, sultry Finnish accent, and a wardrobe full of leopard print

📽️ Biography

Born as Virva-Liisa Valkonen in Helsinki, Velvet Vonn arrived in Hollywood in the early 1970s, chasing dreams of stardom. What she lacked in acting range, she made up for with a striking appearance: alabaster skin, icy blue eyes, and curves that screamed exploitation icon. Her thick Finnish accent posed a challenge for traditional roles, but would unexpectedly become her signature.

Her screen debut came in BuXom of Dracula (1973), where she played the daughter of Dracula – a pale, sensual vampire luring victims with her hypnotic gaze and peculiar intonation. The role was oddly perfect for Velvet, and her haunting look quickly made her a favorite among late-night horror fans.

Riding the wave of her surprise success, she landed the lead in Jungle Jezebel (1975), a bizarre jungleploitation film where she played Queen Lolana, a voluptuous blonde supposedly raised by tigers — in the middle of Africa. The accent, which had worked in her favor before, now confused audiences and critics alike. Still, her appearance at the film’s premiere — in a plunging leopard-print dress and accompanied by a live tiger — cemented her cult status.

Despite a short-lived career, Velvet Vonn remains a legend in the annals of exploitation cinema: a glamorous oddity who never quite fit in — and was all the more iconic because of it.

Velvet Vonn at the Jungle Jezebel (1975) premiere — accompanied by a live tiger. Leopard print and live animals became her unofficial trademarks.

🎥 Notable Films

BuXom of Dracula (1973) – “Lilith Dracula”

Jungle Jezebel (1975) – “Queen Lolana”

Vonn Voyage! (1979) – Herself (farewell mockumentary)

🐾 Trivia

Changed her name to Velvet Vonn at the suggestion of a B-movie producer who thought her real name sounded “too Nordic for nudity.”

Famous red carpet moment: arriving with a real tiger on a leash for the Jungle Jezebel premiere.

Rumored to have whispered all her lines phonetically into a tape recorder and rehearsed them endlessly before filming.