Vampire circus (1972)

Review by Mari Lynne Rupp



This little-known Hammer gem written by Judson Kinberg and directed by Robert Young is a wonderful throwback to the old vampire movies from the 1970's. If there was ever a grindhouse vampire flick, this is it---Sex, boobies and violence!
A small European town is terrorized by the vampire Count Mitterhaus, killing children brought to him by his lover, Anna. Anna is discovered by her husband the schoolmaster as she kidnaps another child to feed the Count. He rallies the townspeople who finally kill the Count and try to burn Anna in the castle, but she escapes. As he dies, the Count curses the townspeople that their children will die to let him live.
Years later, a plague has descended upon the town, leaving it starving and in quarantine. A gypsy band of performers break through the blockades, giving the townspeople a much-needed distraction. Little do they know the lead gypsy is Anna disguised and willing to sacrifice each child, even her own, to raise Count Mitterhaus. A fierce battle ensues at the climax, with Anna showing as much aptitude at mothering as Casey Anthony, but ultimately, as in all Hammer films, love triumphs, rocks fall, and everybody dies.
Starring Adrienne Corri and a surprise performance by David Prowse (Darth Vader to us Star Wars geeks) this film is a few shades away from being softcore porn for vampire lovers. It's the kind of vampire film I would've loved as a kid but was rightly screened from. The pace moves well, and we are rewarded immediately with vampire fangs, tits, sex and blood. It only gets better from there.
9/10