In 1800's Europe, the villagers of Stetyl think they have gotten rid of an ancient evil that has plagued their town. Flash forward fifteen years. The townspeople are dying, one by one, of an unnamed plague that started with their priests. The surrounding towns have blocked off all access to the village. Then, a circus headed by a gypsy woman (Corri) comes to town and people who go to the circus start dying in strange ways.
Corri holds the film together as the ringmistress of the circus. As one of the endangered lovers, Frederick goes from being incredibly stupid to very smart (check out the scene in the chapel near the film's end). Moulder-Brown does well as the stubborn hero. As the main vampire, Count Mitterhaus, Robert Tayman does a scary job.
Moray Grant (1970's "The Vampire Lovers" & "Scars of Dracula") did the cinematography. David Whitaker contributed an eerie musical score.
The movie explores links between sex and vampirism. As one character says "one hunger feeds another. Yes, that's been done a lot these days, but 50 years ago it was still edgy territory.
The film doesn't have the lush Hammer look, but it does have the vivid colors and the scares. The script throws in some unlikely coincidences to keep the plot going, but these are minor flaws. I'd say that this is my find of the month.