Vampire Circus (1972) is currently available on Tubi and Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a traveling circus that arrives in a small town. Shortly after arriving children around the city start disappearing. The local towns people decide to start investigating the circus whether they're responsible or not.... This movie is directed by Robert Young (Hostage) and stars Thorley Walters (Adventure of Sherlock Holmes), Adrienne Corri (A Clockwork Orange), Anthony Higgins (Indiana Jones) and Richard Owens (Sense and Sensibility). The circus set, props and backdrops in this were awesome and they did a good job playing off it to create horror elements. The kills in this are pretty bad, especially when the animals do the killing. The cast is solid and the actors do a great job, especially the clown. There are some great nudity and sex scenes throughout the movie. Overall this is an uneven movie that is an above average addition to the horror genre that is worth watching once for horror enthusiasts. I'd score this a solid 6.5/10.
93 Reviews
Something the same...and yet different
Leofwine_draca17 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A chance for me to sit down with a proper Hammer Horror movie for a change, 1972's VAMPIRE CIRCUS. The first time I've seen this on DVD and for the first time this millennium too. It's a good little movie that holds up today and stands out from the plethora of Hammer's other vampire movies thanks to a willingness to shake up the old formula and present the elements in a more creative and original way, much like CAPTAIN KRONOS did. The East European setting is well realised and I loved the idea of the action taking place in a plague town cut off from the rest of society; if you want to go to the next village you end up having to run a gauntlet of guns to get there!
The film is handsomely made and produced, perhaps not one of Hammer's biggest budgets here, but it's colourful and has plenty of action going for it. The weakest point is the characterisation: too many middle-aged guys on the side of good, many of them interchangeable, the only ones standing out being John Moulder-Brown and Lynne Frederick as the Romeo and Juliet-style star-crossed lovers. Both are so young and innocent-looking here that they feel like kids playing dress up. The circus itself is the best part of the film and there are plenty of interesting-looking performers present, not least Skip Martin's evil dwarf (seemingly every '70s horror film had one!), Dave Prowse's silent strongman, Lalla Ward's acrobat, Anthony Higgins as a Heathcliff-alike, and of course Adrienne Corri's gypsy woman. Hammer throw in the nudity and gore too and it all works quite nicely. Not quite one of their top-tier productions, but it's a keeper all the same.
The film is handsomely made and produced, perhaps not one of Hammer's biggest budgets here, but it's colourful and has plenty of action going for it. The weakest point is the characterisation: too many middle-aged guys on the side of good, many of them interchangeable, the only ones standing out being John Moulder-Brown and Lynne Frederick as the Romeo and Juliet-style star-crossed lovers. Both are so young and innocent-looking here that they feel like kids playing dress up. The circus itself is the best part of the film and there are plenty of interesting-looking performers present, not least Skip Martin's evil dwarf (seemingly every '70s horror film had one!), Dave Prowse's silent strongman, Lalla Ward's acrobat, Anthony Higgins as a Heathcliff-alike, and of course Adrienne Corri's gypsy woman. Hammer throw in the nudity and gore too and it all works quite nicely. Not quite one of their top-tier productions, but it's a keeper all the same.
Look Beyond The Poor Production Values ...
Theo Robertson13 August 2004
... And you'll find a pretty good story in there
It's interesting to note that just about everyone on this page enjoyed VAMPIRE CIRCUS . I can take or leave horror movies especially ones involving vampires because they're self limiting , ( I mean how scary is a person with false teeth ? ) and for much of this movie we're treated to some substandard production values typical of Hammer studios in the early 1970s , the circus arena is supposed to be in the open air but is obviously filmed on an interior film set , the editing and special effects are really poor , there's a sequence with villagers being thrashed to death with a rug ( Well that's what it looked like to me ) while the cast are very uneven with John Moulder-Brown as Anton being just about the most unlikely hero I've ever seen in a horror movie . Oh and there's plenty of scenes with people with false teeth like those ones you buy at a joke shop
But... ...despite all this VAMPIRE CIRCUS is a very entertaining horror movie . I don't know if it's because I've seen too many smart ass post modernist American horror flicks recently but a story featuring a Central European village being cut off from the outside world because of plague and its inhabitants being killed one by one by a bunch of vengeful vampires appeals to me more than a self referrential story set in 21st century America . In fact many of the killings are paedophillic murders so this gives the movie a disturbingly adult strength in what could easily be dismissed as a silly movie
It's interesting to note that just about everyone on this page enjoyed VAMPIRE CIRCUS . I can take or leave horror movies especially ones involving vampires because they're self limiting , ( I mean how scary is a person with false teeth ? ) and for much of this movie we're treated to some substandard production values typical of Hammer studios in the early 1970s , the circus arena is supposed to be in the open air but is obviously filmed on an interior film set , the editing and special effects are really poor , there's a sequence with villagers being thrashed to death with a rug ( Well that's what it looked like to me ) while the cast are very uneven with John Moulder-Brown as Anton being just about the most unlikely hero I've ever seen in a horror movie . Oh and there's plenty of scenes with people with false teeth like those ones you buy at a joke shop
But... ...despite all this VAMPIRE CIRCUS is a very entertaining horror movie . I don't know if it's because I've seen too many smart ass post modernist American horror flicks recently but a story featuring a Central European village being cut off from the outside world because of plague and its inhabitants being killed one by one by a bunch of vengeful vampires appeals to me more than a self referrential story set in 21st century America . In fact many of the killings are paedophillic murders so this gives the movie a disturbingly adult strength in what could easily be dismissed as a silly movie
Strong contender for the most underrated vampire movie of all time!
Infofreak20 September 2002
Not sure why 'Vampire Circus' isn't mentioned when people talk about the best Hammer movies, because it certainly deserves to be. As usual the studio manages to create a lot of period atmosphere and chills on, one assumes, not a very large budget, and like most of their movies the acting is uniformly good. The story concerns a village being attacked by a mysterious lethal plague which may or may not be connected with a dark episode in the small communities past concerning an evil Count who once terrorized all and sundry. The village is cut off from the outside world, and while they anxiously await some outside medical attention, a strange traveling circus arrives. The villagers leap upon anything to tale their minds off their awful predicament, but as you can tell from the title, the circus folk aren't exactly what they appear to be and have secret plans of justice and revenge. The performers themselves are much more interesting and sensual than the uptight villagers, and this creates an unusual tension in the viewer compared to many vampire movies, where good vs. evil is black and white with no troubling ambiguities. This is a very unusual twist on the familiar subject matter, and in my opinion one of the most underrated and overlooked vampire movies ever made. Trainspotters note: the supporting cast includes David 'Darth Vader' Prowse as the circus strongman, and Lalla Ward (who replaced Mary Tamm as Romana in 'Dr Who') as a pretty sexy vampire.
One of the last of the Hammer classics
CaressofSteel7531 December 2013
I first saw this movie years ago in a chopped-up edited for television form, although I was recently able to see it in what looks like its complete version.
I remember distinctly that Vampire Circus got terrible reviews in the 1970s. Our TV Guide rated it at ZERO stars, but time seems to have softened that harsh criticism, and it's now regarded as a semi-classic.
It's got the great look and feel of classic Hammer horror, and it gets by without Lee, Cushing and the rest. David Prowse makes an appearance as the strongman, one of the few times you see him not heavily made up. For what it's worth, the script is actually a little better than some other more highly regarded horror films.
While it's not the best thing Hammer ever produced, you'll want to see it at least once if you're a fan of those movies.
I remember distinctly that Vampire Circus got terrible reviews in the 1970s. Our TV Guide rated it at ZERO stars, but time seems to have softened that harsh criticism, and it's now regarded as a semi-classic.
It's got the great look and feel of classic Hammer horror, and it gets by without Lee, Cushing and the rest. David Prowse makes an appearance as the strongman, one of the few times you see him not heavily made up. For what it's worth, the script is actually a little better than some other more highly regarded horror films.
While it's not the best thing Hammer ever produced, you'll want to see it at least once if you're a fan of those movies.
Vampires, naked babes, and a freaky midget.
BA_Harrison21 October 2007
Fifteen years after staking Count Mitterhaus, the vampire that had been preying upon their children, the people of a remote European village suffer once again as a mysterious plague begins to claim their lives. With roadblocks in place to stop the disease from spreading, they are cut off from the outside world.
When a gypsy circus somehow beats the quarantine to put on nightly shows at the village, the locals are happy that they have something to take their minds off the illness. But soon, the now-grown-up children of those who killed the Count begin to turn up dead, and the villagers start to suspect that the circus folk are somehow responsible. It eventually transpires that the creepy entertainers, some of whom are vampires, are out to seek revenge for Mitterhaus's death, and ultimately aim to raise the Count from his tomb.
A better-than-average offering from Hammer studios, Vampire Circus offers all of their trademark elements—lush visuals, lavish sets and costumes, beautiful women, handsome heroes and Gothic atmosphere to spare—plus quite a bit of blood and gore, and a generous amount of gratuitous nudity from several beautiful babes (although the stunning Lynne Frederick unfortunately remains fully clothed).
Director Robert Young ensures that the film is effectively creepy from start to finish, paying special attention to the scenes featuring the bizarre circus folk, which prove to be genuinely freaky (the dwarf, with his evil grin and painted face, is particularly disturbing). Occasionally the film suffers from some poor special effects, and the odd spot of hammy acting, but this does not detract from one's enjoyment (on the contrary, they actually made the whole experience more fun for me).
Best watched at night, with the curtains drawn, lights out, and accompanied by a big box of popcorn, this solidly entertaining vampire yarn is well worth checking out.
When a gypsy circus somehow beats the quarantine to put on nightly shows at the village, the locals are happy that they have something to take their minds off the illness. But soon, the now-grown-up children of those who killed the Count begin to turn up dead, and the villagers start to suspect that the circus folk are somehow responsible. It eventually transpires that the creepy entertainers, some of whom are vampires, are out to seek revenge for Mitterhaus's death, and ultimately aim to raise the Count from his tomb.
A better-than-average offering from Hammer studios, Vampire Circus offers all of their trademark elements—lush visuals, lavish sets and costumes, beautiful women, handsome heroes and Gothic atmosphere to spare—plus quite a bit of blood and gore, and a generous amount of gratuitous nudity from several beautiful babes (although the stunning Lynne Frederick unfortunately remains fully clothed).
Director Robert Young ensures that the film is effectively creepy from start to finish, paying special attention to the scenes featuring the bizarre circus folk, which prove to be genuinely freaky (the dwarf, with his evil grin and painted face, is particularly disturbing). Occasionally the film suffers from some poor special effects, and the odd spot of hammy acting, but this does not detract from one's enjoyment (on the contrary, they actually made the whole experience more fun for me).
Best watched at night, with the curtains drawn, lights out, and accompanied by a big box of popcorn, this solidly entertaining vampire yarn is well worth checking out.
Battling Vampires and the Plague
Uriah438 June 2021
This film begins with a man sitting outside writing while at the same time keeping an eye on his young daughter who is playing in a field. When he looks up he notices a young woman walking off with his daughter and immediately gives chase. Unfortunately, he is unable to prevent the two of them from entering through the doors of a castle which close upon his arrival. Since there have been several child abductions recently he immediately gets help from the local village who decide to take matters into their own hands without regard to the fact that the inhabitant of the castle happens to be an extremely powerful and influential nobleman by the name of "Count Mitterhaus" (Robert Tayman). Be that as it may, upon successfully forcing their way into the castle they find the little girl already dead and although several men are killed in the process they end up eventually slaying the vampire by driving a stake through his heart. However, right before he dies he utters a curse upon them and promises to return to slay their children sometime in the future. The scene then shifts to 15 years later where that same village has been cut off from the rest of society due to a severe case of the bubonic plague which is killing off a number of the people there. Strangely enough, however, a small band of gypsies manage to pass through the roadblocks and enter the village as if it were no problem. And not long afterward several young people begin to die-but not because of any disease. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a decent vampire film which--as is often the case with Hammer productions--had a good Gothic feel to it and managed to maintain my attention throughout. Admittedly, while I didn't like the fact that the plot deviated from the typical vampire traditions, I still enjoyed this film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
Good-bye Ma, I'm off to join the circus!
JoeB1311 January 2014
This is part of Hammer Films later output, when they finally figured out they could put nudity in their movies instead of just implied sexuality What you have is sort of a confused mess of a story where a bunch of villagers kill off their Vampire Count, who swears revenge before they blow up his castle. His human mistress goes off to find his cousin, and for some reason, she gave birth to two vampire twins who are fully grown 15 years later. (One of them played by Doctor Who's Lalla Ward.) So apparently, these villagers don't think anything is strange about a circus showing up and people mysteriously disappearing or dying in their midst.
So some nudity, some gore, some nice Hammer stylistic visuals, but lacking the gravitas that Cushing and Christopher Lee usually brought to these things.
So some nudity, some gore, some nice Hammer stylistic visuals, but lacking the gravitas that Cushing and Christopher Lee usually brought to these things.
Interesting, unusual vampire flick.
hu67527 November 2007
An small village somewhere in Europe, where the villagers can't leave their small town. Because of the recent plague, then an mysterious group of circus people (Lead by Adrienne Corri) are coming to this village to bring happiness and joy to make them forgot the plague. But they are there to bring misery and murder instead. Since this carnival people are actually vampires (even the animals are vampires and could transforms to human begins!) getting their revenge of their master Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) got staked in the heart 15 years ago. Which their master, they were killed by the villagers and now this vampires are trying to kill all the woman and children. So, their master could comeback to life.
Directed by Robert Young (Splitting Heirs) made an fascinating vampire horror movie, despite its poor production values. But this movie has some light erotic moments and some arresting scenes as well. It is also amusing Tongue in Cheek as well. But the British cast are good here and actually well written also. But i felt, there's something missing in the movie. But it's satisfying enough and die-hard fans of the famous "Hammer" production will enjoy this. David Prowse, who plays "The Strongman" in the movie. Prowse is best known for playing "Darth Vader" in the suit in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. (*** ½/*****).
Directed by Robert Young (Splitting Heirs) made an fascinating vampire horror movie, despite its poor production values. But this movie has some light erotic moments and some arresting scenes as well. It is also amusing Tongue in Cheek as well. But the British cast are good here and actually well written also. But i felt, there's something missing in the movie. But it's satisfying enough and die-hard fans of the famous "Hammer" production will enjoy this. David Prowse, who plays "The Strongman" in the movie. Prowse is best known for playing "Darth Vader" in the suit in the original "Star Wars" trilogy. (*** ½/*****).
It's the original Bloodiest Show on Earth.
Hey_Sweden18 February 2018
"Vampire Circus" tells the story of a village plagued by the curse of a vampire. As the residents are doing away with the evil Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman), he swears that he will "live" again to savage their children. 15 years later, a circus comes to town while a plague of a different sort is ravaging the countryside. It's all connected, of course: most of the performers in this circus are vampires themselves. While the disease spreads, some foolish villagers try to flee, but it's all for nothing. No, these people are going to pay the price.
While it does suffer from a story (by Judson Kinberg) that isn't always terribly coherent or well thought out, "Vampire Circus" is still engaging horror-fantasy from those fine people at Hammer. It does benefit from absolutely intoxicating atmosphere, grandiose music (by David Whitaker), and a merciless body count that includes a number of kids. Its characters are decently defined, whether they are heroes like young Anton (John Moulder-Brown), or completely vile like the Count and his minions (such as Emil (Anthony Higgins) and the malevolent midget clown Michael (Skip Martin)). The special effects are occasionally dodgy, and some of the gore is hilariously tacky, but in general the makeup (by Jill Carpenter) is pretty good, especially on a female performer painted like a tiger.
Once again, Hammer assembles an elegant British cast that plays the material for everything that it's worth. Actors such as Adrienne Corri (as the Gypsy Woman who presides over the circus), Martin, Tayman, and Higgins are clearly relishing their villainous roles. Moulder-Brown is a likeable young hero, and Thorley Walters (as the Burgermeister), Laurence Payne (as Mueller the schoolteacher), Richard Owens (as the brave Dr. Kersh), and Robin Hunter (as Hauser) are all excellent. Lynne Frederick is positively ravishing in the role of Dora. David "Darth Vader" Prowse shows off his incredible physique as the circus' silent strongman.
Showcasing the kind of sex appeal and gore that would mark later entries in Hammers' filmography, "Vampire Circus" isn't a great shocker, but it certainly is fun.
Seven out of 10.
While it does suffer from a story (by Judson Kinberg) that isn't always terribly coherent or well thought out, "Vampire Circus" is still engaging horror-fantasy from those fine people at Hammer. It does benefit from absolutely intoxicating atmosphere, grandiose music (by David Whitaker), and a merciless body count that includes a number of kids. Its characters are decently defined, whether they are heroes like young Anton (John Moulder-Brown), or completely vile like the Count and his minions (such as Emil (Anthony Higgins) and the malevolent midget clown Michael (Skip Martin)). The special effects are occasionally dodgy, and some of the gore is hilariously tacky, but in general the makeup (by Jill Carpenter) is pretty good, especially on a female performer painted like a tiger.
Once again, Hammer assembles an elegant British cast that plays the material for everything that it's worth. Actors such as Adrienne Corri (as the Gypsy Woman who presides over the circus), Martin, Tayman, and Higgins are clearly relishing their villainous roles. Moulder-Brown is a likeable young hero, and Thorley Walters (as the Burgermeister), Laurence Payne (as Mueller the schoolteacher), Richard Owens (as the brave Dr. Kersh), and Robin Hunter (as Hauser) are all excellent. Lynne Frederick is positively ravishing in the role of Dora. David "Darth Vader" Prowse shows off his incredible physique as the circus' silent strongman.
Showcasing the kind of sex appeal and gore that would mark later entries in Hammers' filmography, "Vampire Circus" isn't a great shocker, but it certainly is fun.
Seven out of 10.
Not your run of the mill vampire movie.
fostrhod20 August 2021
When you think of Hammer Horror films I bet this one doesn't spring to mind. It's a great movie and highly original. It is a little dated and stilted at times but it's a great watch. I also detect that this maybe be a bit of an influence to The League of Gentlemen. Give it a watch and you'll see what I mean,
A freaky and unique Vampire film
spacemonkey_fg10 June 2005
Title: Vampire Circus
Director: Robert Young
Cast: Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters, Anthony Higgins
Review:
Vampire Circus is one of those hard to find, elusive Hammer Vampire flicks. I had been looking for it for the longest time having heard nothing but good things about this uncommon vampire movie. I finally got my hands on it and I feel that I have somehow found the holy grail or something.
It starts out like many vampire flicks. The towns people storming the castle of a vampire who has been feeding on the towns young women and children. They decide to take justice into their own hands and rid the world of Count Mitterhouse.
When I say that this movie starts out like many other vampire flicks, I don't mean that in a bad way. This opening is a very fast paced one, filled with lots of confrontations...somehow you get the feeling that you are walking in on the ending of the film. Count Mitterhouse is a very vicious vampire, he seems almost more fierce then Lee's Dracula in many scenes. Great way to open a movie! In the first 12 minutes you get a couple of towns folk slaughtered full frontal nudity and a little girl killed by Mitterhouse. But when the towns people finally do get to kill him, he says he will one day come to life again and just before he dies he curses the town with a plague.
Fast forward fifteen years later...and people are dying from a horrible curse, the town is quarantined and no one is allowed to leave. If you do try to leave the town...you get shot down! Anyhows in comes the "Circus of Night" a circus that the towns people welcome with open arms...something to take their minds away from all the death that the plague has brought upon them. The "circus of night" has their own little plan under their sleeves but that is for you to find out when you see the movie.
Well people thats the set up for what was surely one of the strangest vampire flicks I have ever seen. I mean...come on....vampires and a weird circus in the same movie, how can you go wrong with a mix like that? Does the movie manage to be interesting after a fast paced action packed opening sequence like that? It sure does.
Like many films with the circus/carnival setting one of the main attractions on this movie were the circus performers. This "circus of night" is filled with your usual circus folk. The Strong Man, The Twins Who turn into bats, The Midget Clown and The Panther who turns into a man, The Body Paint Dancers, Um...OK, maybe they are not your usual circus folk, but they sure do make for an interesting and freaky film. All the characters in the circus are very intriguing simply because of their freakishness, they are certainly more likable then the towns folk.
This Hammer production has more boob shots then usual. The nudity was very abundant in Vampire Circus. Another really cool thing about the flick: the vampires have huuuge fangs. I mean when they open their mouths you get to wondering how they are ever going to close them again with fangs that big. Cool image.
The movie is accompanied by a feeling of surrealism. Be on the lookout for some really freaky performances during the show. Specially those scenes involving "The Mirror of Life". Also those scenes with the naked/body paint/dancing lady. Add to this that the ring master is a midget clown and you have a night of weird bizarro cinema assured. Oh, and it also has one of the coolest and most original vampire death scenes I have seen! Not gonna spoil it for you guys but be on the look out for that.
As you can see, I don't have a great many bad things to say about this one. Maybe they screwed around with the vampire mythos a little too much, I mean a were-panther/vampire dude? Maybe that was a little too much. But I guess it just adds to the bizarre feeling this movie has.
Also some of the acting wasn't so good, mainly from the young guy who plays the son of the doctor in the film. He delivers his lines with a lot of overacting. But thats just a minor flaw, it was an all around good Hammer flick.
So, in conclusion. I'm glad I finally got to see Vampire Circus its a film that was fun because its weird freaky carnival feel and its likable villains. Too bad this film is often times ignored and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Why release films like "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" which are just plain hurtful to look at, and then just completely ignore a gem like this? Sadly this film isn't even available in the United States.
It certainly is one of the most unique vampire films to come out of Hammers House of Horror, and one that any Vampire/Hammer lover should not miss.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Director: Robert Young
Cast: Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters, Anthony Higgins
Review:
Vampire Circus is one of those hard to find, elusive Hammer Vampire flicks. I had been looking for it for the longest time having heard nothing but good things about this uncommon vampire movie. I finally got my hands on it and I feel that I have somehow found the holy grail or something.
It starts out like many vampire flicks. The towns people storming the castle of a vampire who has been feeding on the towns young women and children. They decide to take justice into their own hands and rid the world of Count Mitterhouse.
When I say that this movie starts out like many other vampire flicks, I don't mean that in a bad way. This opening is a very fast paced one, filled with lots of confrontations...somehow you get the feeling that you are walking in on the ending of the film. Count Mitterhouse is a very vicious vampire, he seems almost more fierce then Lee's Dracula in many scenes. Great way to open a movie! In the first 12 minutes you get a couple of towns folk slaughtered full frontal nudity and a little girl killed by Mitterhouse. But when the towns people finally do get to kill him, he says he will one day come to life again and just before he dies he curses the town with a plague.
Fast forward fifteen years later...and people are dying from a horrible curse, the town is quarantined and no one is allowed to leave. If you do try to leave the town...you get shot down! Anyhows in comes the "Circus of Night" a circus that the towns people welcome with open arms...something to take their minds away from all the death that the plague has brought upon them. The "circus of night" has their own little plan under their sleeves but that is for you to find out when you see the movie.
Well people thats the set up for what was surely one of the strangest vampire flicks I have ever seen. I mean...come on....vampires and a weird circus in the same movie, how can you go wrong with a mix like that? Does the movie manage to be interesting after a fast paced action packed opening sequence like that? It sure does.
Like many films with the circus/carnival setting one of the main attractions on this movie were the circus performers. This "circus of night" is filled with your usual circus folk. The Strong Man, The Twins Who turn into bats, The Midget Clown and The Panther who turns into a man, The Body Paint Dancers, Um...OK, maybe they are not your usual circus folk, but they sure do make for an interesting and freaky film. All the characters in the circus are very intriguing simply because of their freakishness, they are certainly more likable then the towns folk.
This Hammer production has more boob shots then usual. The nudity was very abundant in Vampire Circus. Another really cool thing about the flick: the vampires have huuuge fangs. I mean when they open their mouths you get to wondering how they are ever going to close them again with fangs that big. Cool image.
The movie is accompanied by a feeling of surrealism. Be on the lookout for some really freaky performances during the show. Specially those scenes involving "The Mirror of Life". Also those scenes with the naked/body paint/dancing lady. Add to this that the ring master is a midget clown and you have a night of weird bizarro cinema assured. Oh, and it also has one of the coolest and most original vampire death scenes I have seen! Not gonna spoil it for you guys but be on the look out for that.
As you can see, I don't have a great many bad things to say about this one. Maybe they screwed around with the vampire mythos a little too much, I mean a were-panther/vampire dude? Maybe that was a little too much. But I guess it just adds to the bizarre feeling this movie has.
Also some of the acting wasn't so good, mainly from the young guy who plays the son of the doctor in the film. He delivers his lines with a lot of overacting. But thats just a minor flaw, it was an all around good Hammer flick.
So, in conclusion. I'm glad I finally got to see Vampire Circus its a film that was fun because its weird freaky carnival feel and its likable villains. Too bad this film is often times ignored and doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Why release films like "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" which are just plain hurtful to look at, and then just completely ignore a gem like this? Sadly this film isn't even available in the United States.
It certainly is one of the most unique vampire films to come out of Hammers House of Horror, and one that any Vampire/Hammer lover should not miss.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Uncompromising Hammer horror with fairy tale qualities
Libretio9 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
VAMPIRE CIRCUS
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Mono
Many years after a dying vampire (Robert Tayman) placed a curse on the inhabitants of a small European village, a terrible plague descends on the area, quickly followed by a travelling circus which turns out to be a hotbed of vengeful vampires.
Though the production was shut down before fledgling director Robert Young (THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN) could shoot all the footage he needed, this exemplary horror film retains a fairy tale quality unlike anything produced by Hammer before or since. Uncompromising in terms of nudity and violence, Judson Kinberg's script adds an element of Magick to the predictable Gothic trappings, allowing the vampires to deceive and seduce their unsuspecting victims, and resulting in a series of extremely powerful sequences - including the murder of two young boys (Barnaby and Roderick Shaw) by an incestuous vampire couple (Robin Sachs and Lalla Ward) who draw them into a magic mirror, a scene which is both beautiful and corrupt, all at the same time. A largely unfamiliar cast - including attractive newcomers John Moulder-Brown (THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED) and Lynne Frederick (SCHIZO) - becomes caught up in the climactic orgy of death and destruction, and the film ends with a bizarre decapitation that closes proceedings on a visual high. A minor classic, worth seeing.
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Mono
Many years after a dying vampire (Robert Tayman) placed a curse on the inhabitants of a small European village, a terrible plague descends on the area, quickly followed by a travelling circus which turns out to be a hotbed of vengeful vampires.
Though the production was shut down before fledgling director Robert Young (THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN) could shoot all the footage he needed, this exemplary horror film retains a fairy tale quality unlike anything produced by Hammer before or since. Uncompromising in terms of nudity and violence, Judson Kinberg's script adds an element of Magick to the predictable Gothic trappings, allowing the vampires to deceive and seduce their unsuspecting victims, and resulting in a series of extremely powerful sequences - including the murder of two young boys (Barnaby and Roderick Shaw) by an incestuous vampire couple (Robin Sachs and Lalla Ward) who draw them into a magic mirror, a scene which is both beautiful and corrupt, all at the same time. A largely unfamiliar cast - including attractive newcomers John Moulder-Brown (THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED) and Lynne Frederick (SCHIZO) - becomes caught up in the climactic orgy of death and destruction, and the film ends with a bizarre decapitation that closes proceedings on a visual high. A minor classic, worth seeing.
There was potential. There wasn't money.
Ar_Pharazon_the_golden2 February 2011
This film has some good ideas. There's the freaky circus (always a good foundation of a horror film), there's some quite bold eroticism, and it could have worked out well. Unfortunately it seems obvious that there wasn't any money. The problem isn't with the bad effects, nor with the various goofs, nor that the villain looks kind of funny. Mainly, it seems like the plot isn't developed enough, making leaps because we can't afford to make a fuller version of the story. Too cheap for the average viewer, but a Hammer horror fan will appreciate it. The kind of movie that may be worthy of a good remake so it can reach its full potential.
Great Vampire Flick!
grantch10 April 2004
I gave in to my desire to resee Twins of Evil and check out Vampire Circus & Countess Dracula which I had never seen and ordered the "Hammer Vampire Collection" from UK. (If you're considering purchase, the discs are coded Region 2, so you can't play them on a lot of USA-sold DVD players. I watch Region 2 on my computer.) I loved Twins of Evil but the real winner was Vampire Circus, an intelligent and fun treatment of a curse upon a village which had the temerity to call an abrupt halt to the fun of the local feudal lord. It's suspenseful and fast moving. I agree with previous commenters that the villagers are so pompous that they earned their fates. Unlike most other posters, I welcomed the opportunity to see John Moulder-Brown in a (for me) new movie, albeit 32 years old. VC is beautifully photographed and the special effects are terrific. Clearly the folks at Hammer Studios did not need computers to create stunning visual images. If you can view Region 2 discs, go for it! You'll get a great thrill out of VC, probably their best vampire flick after Taste the Blood of Dracula!
Funny Vampire Movie From Hammer
claudio_carvalho26 July 2005
When the population of a small village decides to invade the castle of the Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman), who is a vampire that is killing the local children, the villagers and their families are cursed by him. His mistress escapes to the rage of the locals, hides the count's body in a cave and fifteen years later, she returns with a circus owned by the count's cousin and also vampire Emil (Anthony Higgings), to fulfill the count's prophecy and bring him back to life.
"Vampire Circus" is a very reasonable vampire movie from Hammer. There are some nudity, the story is not bad, but John Moulder-Brown and Anthony Higgings are horrible and almost spoil the film. These two ham actors make many situations very funny with their movements, grimaces and expressions. Anyway, I am a fan of Hammer studios and I liked this very low-budget movie, which does not spare the children or other lead characters. There are also some attractive erotic scenes, such as the dance of the tiger-woman, or the initial scene of Count Mitterhaus and his lover in bed. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Circo dos Vapiros"("The Vampires Circus")
"Vampire Circus" is a very reasonable vampire movie from Hammer. There are some nudity, the story is not bad, but John Moulder-Brown and Anthony Higgings are horrible and almost spoil the film. These two ham actors make many situations very funny with their movements, grimaces and expressions. Anyway, I am a fan of Hammer studios and I liked this very low-budget movie, which does not spare the children or other lead characters. There are also some attractive erotic scenes, such as the dance of the tiger-woman, or the initial scene of Count Mitterhaus and his lover in bed. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Circo dos Vapiros"("The Vampires Circus")
lesser-seen Hammer vampire flick is OK, deserves wider release, but is nothing too special
FieCrier16 February 2005
A woman leads a child into a vampire's home, and her husband rallies the villagers to finally do something about the vampire. They kills the vampire Count, but the vampire swears revenge.
Years later, vampires are mostly forgotten as the village deals with a disease that has them shut off from the rest of the world by roadblocks that shoot at anyone trying to come in or out. A circus arrives "to take the coins from dead men's eyes." "The Circus of Nights! A hundred delights!" shouts the barker/clown little person.
In the circus are male/female psychic twin vampire tumblers who turn into bats in their act (which curiously doesn't revive the villagers' concerns about vampires), a vampire tumbler who can turn into a panther who is the Count's cousin, a gypsy woman, a mute strongman, the little person, a tiger, a monkey, and perhaps a couple others. One act involves a nude bald woman in feline body paint, an odd act for the mixed company with children in this period piece, I thought. There's also a mysterious tent called "The Mirror of Life." Not everyone in the circus is a vampire, but the humans are under the vampires' control. The villagers, of course, don't realize that there are vampires, but we the audience know since the Count mentioned it.
Some people try to leave the town to get medical help, others try to flee but now have the vampires to contend with along with the roadblocks. The vampires prey on the villagers and try to revive the count.
This is a fairly good vampire movie, typical Hammer fare with some nudity, blood and gore, nice colorful sets, and good acting. Nevertheless, it didn't really capture me, perhaps because the story was just too simple and predictable.
Years later, vampires are mostly forgotten as the village deals with a disease that has them shut off from the rest of the world by roadblocks that shoot at anyone trying to come in or out. A circus arrives "to take the coins from dead men's eyes." "The Circus of Nights! A hundred delights!" shouts the barker/clown little person.
In the circus are male/female psychic twin vampire tumblers who turn into bats in their act (which curiously doesn't revive the villagers' concerns about vampires), a vampire tumbler who can turn into a panther who is the Count's cousin, a gypsy woman, a mute strongman, the little person, a tiger, a monkey, and perhaps a couple others. One act involves a nude bald woman in feline body paint, an odd act for the mixed company with children in this period piece, I thought. There's also a mysterious tent called "The Mirror of Life." Not everyone in the circus is a vampire, but the humans are under the vampires' control. The villagers, of course, don't realize that there are vampires, but we the audience know since the Count mentioned it.
Some people try to leave the town to get medical help, others try to flee but now have the vampires to contend with along with the roadblocks. The vampires prey on the villagers and try to revive the count.
This is a fairly good vampire movie, typical Hammer fare with some nudity, blood and gore, nice colorful sets, and good acting. Nevertheless, it didn't really capture me, perhaps because the story was just too simple and predictable.
Good and original vampire movie from Hammer Film Productions and Rank Organisation
ma-cortes20 March 2012
In Nineteenth Century Europe , at a Servian little town called Schtettle and surroundings have been committed several murders and neighbours think the guilty seems to be the count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) . When professor Albert Muller (Laurence Payne) watches how his wife Anna and daughter go into a castle , townsfolk (Thorley Walters , among others) enter to rescue them . They get to kill the sinister vampire count but he promises a grisly curse . Fifteen years later the bloodsucker's curse is carried out on descendants (John Moulder-Brown , Lynne Frederick) . Schtettle (same place from 'Twins of evil') people are dieing for strange illness and the place is quarantined . A village is at first relieved when a circus breaks through the quarantine to take the local's minds off the plague . Only the ¨Circus of nights¨ (Adrienne Corri , Anthony Corlan , David Prowse) passes the limits to bring happiness and joy . The circus appears in the isolated location , but early instead of bringing fun and amusement , the circus brings only misery , mutilation and death . ¨The circus has various animals and attractions as 'Hall of Mirrors', and 'Mirror of life' . It seems all the members are bloodsuckers who have the unique ability to become themselves into animals . They intend to take vendetta on the village , whose inhabitants murdered their ancestor several years formerly .
This vampire film contains thrills , chills , suspense , creepy events and is quite entertaining . From important production companies as ¨Rank¨ and ¨Hammer Films¨ that took two plots , one about an eerie circus and the other about bloodsucker depredations and cobbled them together enough well . There are some fine scenes , as the dancing of the panther woman and and other fantastic ones as the deeds in a Hall of Mirrors . Enjoyable performance for all casting , Adrienne Corri as a circus ringmaster , she subsequently worked in 'Clockwork orange' ; Anthony Corlan as a panther man , he has a long career as Anthony Higgings ; Thorley Walters , a Hammer usual ; Lynne Frederick who married and inherited to Peter Sellers , though she died early ; David Prowse as a strongman , he posteriorly became famous as Darth Vader's Star Wars . Colorful cinematography by Grant , made at Pinewood studios , Shepperton , London , England . Creepy and frightening musical score by David Whitaker .
The motion picture produced by Michael Carreras is well directed by Robert W. Young who has a mediocre career with average titles as ¨Hostage¨ , ¨Scandalous ¨, The world is full of married men¨ ; however ¨Vampire circus¨ is a good yarn and results to be his best film . Hammer film buffs will no doubt recognise this film is one of the best of the Terror House .
This vampire film contains thrills , chills , suspense , creepy events and is quite entertaining . From important production companies as ¨Rank¨ and ¨Hammer Films¨ that took two plots , one about an eerie circus and the other about bloodsucker depredations and cobbled them together enough well . There are some fine scenes , as the dancing of the panther woman and and other fantastic ones as the deeds in a Hall of Mirrors . Enjoyable performance for all casting , Adrienne Corri as a circus ringmaster , she subsequently worked in 'Clockwork orange' ; Anthony Corlan as a panther man , he has a long career as Anthony Higgings ; Thorley Walters , a Hammer usual ; Lynne Frederick who married and inherited to Peter Sellers , though she died early ; David Prowse as a strongman , he posteriorly became famous as Darth Vader's Star Wars . Colorful cinematography by Grant , made at Pinewood studios , Shepperton , London , England . Creepy and frightening musical score by David Whitaker .
The motion picture produced by Michael Carreras is well directed by Robert W. Young who has a mediocre career with average titles as ¨Hostage¨ , ¨Scandalous ¨, The world is full of married men¨ ; however ¨Vampire circus¨ is a good yarn and results to be his best film . Hammer film buffs will no doubt recognise this film is one of the best of the Terror House .
Lalla Ward bares something rather interesting...
The_Secretive_Bus1 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Oh well. That was... erm, fun? Though there's not much that's terribly bad about it, there's nothing to raise it above serviceable either.
This is firmly one of those "vampires as lustful sensuous types" sort of films, though most of this is confined to the first 20 or so minutes, which grants us several scenes of rampant vampire sex. Sort of. Well, all right, the beginning has the main vampire Count (who looks disturbingly like a cross between Chris de Burgh and David Essex) rolling about (always seen from the waist up, however) with a nude woman, kissing her here, there and everywhere via cunning mix-n'-fade shots. Their little bit of nookey is however interrupted by the descending of flaming-torch wielding villagers, led by a schoolmaster played by Laurence Payne (looking strangely attractive here though I can't put my finger on why, and probably have no wish to). After the Count dispatches most of them in a vaguely gory manner, he gets staked before he can lay his murderous hands on Thorley Walters (hurrah!) There then follows a "Burn the castle!" bit and a scene where the woman he was having it away with (who's also the schoolmaster's wife - you getting all this?) is whipped and runs back into the castle to hide in a crypt to weep over the body of the vampire Count, who vows that all the children shall die to grant him life, or somesuch bobbins. And all of this is within the first twelve minutes - and then we actually see the opening credits.
Though this might seem all rather pacey and interesting, it isn't really for the duration. Unlike "Twins of Evil" and "Hands of the Ripper", most of the characters are sketchy at best, and acting talent lies in but a handful of them. The premise is a bit ho-hum - vampires try to revive dead lord whilst entertaining populace with a creepy circus - and there's far too much to-ing and fro-ing, with characters running off to do this and that, then arriving back where they were not much better off than they were before (the village doctor decides he should leave to find a cure for the "illness" that is spreading amongst the villagers, asks the mayor for a signed document to let him get past the roadblock, and then forgets about it anyway and decides to ride off and get shot at). The circus acts themselves get a bit wearying after a while, and there's a very odd bit where a man with a whip dances with a naked woman covered in paint, who looks like a lizard tiger... thing, in a way which is curiously erotic, unsettling, and silly all at the same time. The villagers are also a rather thick lot; despite being terrified of vampire legends and the "events that happened fifteen years ago," they happily watch various acrobats flinging themselves through the air, turning into bats, and don't get suspicious at all. And a panther turns into a man with an Alan Davies wig. Hmmm.
Whilst all this malarkey goes on, several bodies are found in the woods, lacerated beyond recognition. Cue the following dialogue: "It must have been the men at the road blocks!" Yes... the men... with their rifles... of course...
"It was those jungle animals from the circus!" "But they're all caged, it couldn't have been them!" Somebody give the boy a slap...
There's a fair bit of violence, including a rather graphic bit where a bloke gets shot in the chest and his back blows out rather nauseatingly. And most of the young women take their tops off at some stage with the unfortunate exception of Ms. Lalla Ward, appearing here as a vampire twin (a twin of evil, you might say, ha ha), baring her fangs (hence my cunning summary title - ho ho ho) in what was her first professional acting role after leaving drama school. Despite wearing a terrible dancers costume for much of it, she still looks rather attractive (especially when doing her vampire bit), though sounds oddly dubbed (though she isn't), her voice nothing like the sharp tones of Romana of "Doctor Who" a few years later.
The film runs around in circles for a while, and then ends rather predictably. I can't say too much more as there are some twists to be found and a few rather shocking, yet hilarious, death scenes. However, overall I didn't really enjoy it all that much, and have probably made it seem more interesting than it really is. Still, it has various "Doctor Who" actors (three cast members from "The Leisure Hive" alone, including Lalla Ward) and Dave Prowse as a strongman, so, um... er...
Oh, and there's one bit that really puts the icing on the cake and makes it an all-round bad 'un, though I'll leave a spoiler space, so beware...
SPOILER ....
....
... THEY KILLED THORLEY WALTERS!!! AUUUUUGHHHHH!!! BASTARDS!!! BAAAASSSSSSTAAAAARRRRDDDDSSS!!!!! *sob*
This is firmly one of those "vampires as lustful sensuous types" sort of films, though most of this is confined to the first 20 or so minutes, which grants us several scenes of rampant vampire sex. Sort of. Well, all right, the beginning has the main vampire Count (who looks disturbingly like a cross between Chris de Burgh and David Essex) rolling about (always seen from the waist up, however) with a nude woman, kissing her here, there and everywhere via cunning mix-n'-fade shots. Their little bit of nookey is however interrupted by the descending of flaming-torch wielding villagers, led by a schoolmaster played by Laurence Payne (looking strangely attractive here though I can't put my finger on why, and probably have no wish to). After the Count dispatches most of them in a vaguely gory manner, he gets staked before he can lay his murderous hands on Thorley Walters (hurrah!) There then follows a "Burn the castle!" bit and a scene where the woman he was having it away with (who's also the schoolmaster's wife - you getting all this?) is whipped and runs back into the castle to hide in a crypt to weep over the body of the vampire Count, who vows that all the children shall die to grant him life, or somesuch bobbins. And all of this is within the first twelve minutes - and then we actually see the opening credits.
Though this might seem all rather pacey and interesting, it isn't really for the duration. Unlike "Twins of Evil" and "Hands of the Ripper", most of the characters are sketchy at best, and acting talent lies in but a handful of them. The premise is a bit ho-hum - vampires try to revive dead lord whilst entertaining populace with a creepy circus - and there's far too much to-ing and fro-ing, with characters running off to do this and that, then arriving back where they were not much better off than they were before (the village doctor decides he should leave to find a cure for the "illness" that is spreading amongst the villagers, asks the mayor for a signed document to let him get past the roadblock, and then forgets about it anyway and decides to ride off and get shot at). The circus acts themselves get a bit wearying after a while, and there's a very odd bit where a man with a whip dances with a naked woman covered in paint, who looks like a lizard tiger... thing, in a way which is curiously erotic, unsettling, and silly all at the same time. The villagers are also a rather thick lot; despite being terrified of vampire legends and the "events that happened fifteen years ago," they happily watch various acrobats flinging themselves through the air, turning into bats, and don't get suspicious at all. And a panther turns into a man with an Alan Davies wig. Hmmm.
Whilst all this malarkey goes on, several bodies are found in the woods, lacerated beyond recognition. Cue the following dialogue: "It must have been the men at the road blocks!" Yes... the men... with their rifles... of course...
"It was those jungle animals from the circus!" "But they're all caged, it couldn't have been them!" Somebody give the boy a slap...
There's a fair bit of violence, including a rather graphic bit where a bloke gets shot in the chest and his back blows out rather nauseatingly. And most of the young women take their tops off at some stage with the unfortunate exception of Ms. Lalla Ward, appearing here as a vampire twin (a twin of evil, you might say, ha ha), baring her fangs (hence my cunning summary title - ho ho ho) in what was her first professional acting role after leaving drama school. Despite wearing a terrible dancers costume for much of it, she still looks rather attractive (especially when doing her vampire bit), though sounds oddly dubbed (though she isn't), her voice nothing like the sharp tones of Romana of "Doctor Who" a few years later.
The film runs around in circles for a while, and then ends rather predictably. I can't say too much more as there are some twists to be found and a few rather shocking, yet hilarious, death scenes. However, overall I didn't really enjoy it all that much, and have probably made it seem more interesting than it really is. Still, it has various "Doctor Who" actors (three cast members from "The Leisure Hive" alone, including Lalla Ward) and Dave Prowse as a strongman, so, um... er...
Oh, and there's one bit that really puts the icing on the cake and makes it an all-round bad 'un, though I'll leave a spoiler space, so beware...
SPOILER ....
....
... THEY KILLED THORLEY WALTERS!!! AUUUUUGHHHHH!!! BASTARDS!!! BAAAASSSSSSTAAAAARRRRDDDDSSS!!!!! *sob*
Extremely creepy and vastly underrated Hammer film
Coventry16 August 2004
People are always mentioning the Dracula series when talking about Hammer's best Vampire flicks and, every once and a while, `The Vampire Lovers' and `Twins of Evil' are named. But I never heard anyone praising Vampire Circus before
And yet this is one of the greatest vampire movies I've seen so far. A very structured and ingenious story with frightening characters, nasty gore and constant action. The most fantastic aspects about this film are the genuine strangeness and fairytale-like atmosphere. Yet, the solid tension-level of this film depends on a simple principle: circus people are eerie, and the idea of a travelling bunch of circus freaks is ominous. The legendary director Tod Browning already knew this back in 1932 and the overlooked chiller `Circus of Horrors' also follows this principle closely. Personally, I get a lot more uncomfortable at the sight of a painted-face midget than when seeing aliens, bogeymen or whatever other overblown horror characters.
Vampire Circus is terrifically set in 19th century Serbia. 15 years after the townsfolk of a little community killed an evil count, they live in complete misery. The Plague has isolated them from the rest of the world and they live under the believe they're cursed. A travelling circus finally seems to bring some diversity into the lives of the poor townspeople with their amusing tricks of changing into nightly animals back and forth. But, there seems to be an horrific connection between the eerie circus and the destroyed count Most members of the circus are vampires too, coming to avenge the Count's death and to make him rise from his tomb. For once in your life, look beyond the poor production values! Vampire circus looks laughable and cheesy, but it really does have a compelling story to tell. A story with all the necessary horror ingredients: tension, gore (surprisingly much), great music, good-looking girls and even a bit of nudity. The more Hammer movies I see, the more I think this production company rules!! Even their most underrated ones, like it's definitely the case for Vampire Circus, must be seen by every horror fan. Highly recommended!
Vampire Circus is terrifically set in 19th century Serbia. 15 years after the townsfolk of a little community killed an evil count, they live in complete misery. The Plague has isolated them from the rest of the world and they live under the believe they're cursed. A travelling circus finally seems to bring some diversity into the lives of the poor townspeople with their amusing tricks of changing into nightly animals back and forth. But, there seems to be an horrific connection between the eerie circus and the destroyed count Most members of the circus are vampires too, coming to avenge the Count's death and to make him rise from his tomb. For once in your life, look beyond the poor production values! Vampire circus looks laughable and cheesy, but it really does have a compelling story to tell. A story with all the necessary horror ingredients: tension, gore (surprisingly much), great music, good-looking girls and even a bit of nudity. The more Hammer movies I see, the more I think this production company rules!! Even their most underrated ones, like it's definitely the case for Vampire Circus, must be seen by every horror fan. Highly recommended!
"If your wife is in there, maybe she wanted to go"
hwg1957-102-2657042 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Combining vampires with a circus seems like a dodgy filmic proposition but in this movie it definitely works. The circus comes to a town, that suffers under the curse of a slain vampire called Count Mitterhaus, to revive the count and also take revenge on those who killed the count fifteen years earlier. It's a busy film with lots of comings and goings so it does keep one's interest and there are some genuinely creepy moments. The ending is frantic and full of frissons. The movie despite being on a low budget does look good, particularly the doomed village and the special effects are adequate. It does have a sterling cast including Adrienne Corri as the flame-haired head of the circus, Thorley Walters as the troubled Burgermeister, Anthony Higgins (or Corlan) as the seductive vampire Emil and Skip Martin as the scary clown. As Hammer Films go it's an under rated one but but nice to see it is mostly lauded by IMDb reviewers.
Illogically scripted and choppy Hammer Horror
Prichards123455 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Rumour has it that filming was shut down on Vampire Circus with several important sequences still to be shot. The director had gone over schedule and Hammer simply assembled the film from what footage had already been taken. And to be frank, it shows.
The film is full of illogical ideas. A plague which turns out to be rabies carried by bats can be cured by "Medicine" from the capital, although the film never shows bats attacking people, and the villages occasionally are to be seen with bubonic-style pustules over their faces. A small plot point but the film is full of such silliness.
The main story concerns the revenge of Count Mitterhouse upon said village - he's a vampire staked 15 years earlier in a prologue which allows for nudity, gore, and sadism (the vampire's willing female accomplice is whipped and birched.)
Enter the circus, mysteriously dodging road blocks set up by the surrounding villages to keep the plague contained, which turns out to be full of vampires who use their powers to put on a circus act! These scenes are nicely staged but quickly become repetitive as the villages seem to go there every single night, despite mysterious deaths galore and the plague spreading panic.
I could point out many other inconsistencies in the plot but I'm trying to keep it short. Unaccountably this film has gained a decent reputation over the years, but in all honesty it's not very good, and not a patch on earlier Hammers such as Dracula, Plague of The Zombies and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed.
Historical note: this was the last of Hammer's period vampire movies to be shot.
The film is full of illogical ideas. A plague which turns out to be rabies carried by bats can be cured by "Medicine" from the capital, although the film never shows bats attacking people, and the villages occasionally are to be seen with bubonic-style pustules over their faces. A small plot point but the film is full of such silliness.
The main story concerns the revenge of Count Mitterhouse upon said village - he's a vampire staked 15 years earlier in a prologue which allows for nudity, gore, and sadism (the vampire's willing female accomplice is whipped and birched.)
Enter the circus, mysteriously dodging road blocks set up by the surrounding villages to keep the plague contained, which turns out to be full of vampires who use their powers to put on a circus act! These scenes are nicely staged but quickly become repetitive as the villages seem to go there every single night, despite mysterious deaths galore and the plague spreading panic.
I could point out many other inconsistencies in the plot but I'm trying to keep it short. Unaccountably this film has gained a decent reputation over the years, but in all honesty it's not very good, and not a patch on earlier Hammers such as Dracula, Plague of The Zombies and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed.
Historical note: this was the last of Hammer's period vampire movies to be shot.
One of the best vampire movies of all time
evilskip29 September 1999
A small village uprises against Count Mitterhouse, their vampiric lord. He vows a curse upon the town as he is being destroyed.Years later the town is struck by an outbreak of disease.
Among this horror a travelling circus comes to town. As we slowly find out most of the circus performers are vampires.Some of the animals are vampiric humans! They begin to wreak vengeance upon the village slaughtering indiscriminately.
There is a rousing finish to this as vampires and villagers square off to do battle.Who will survive?
I was lucky enough to see an uncut foreign laserdisk of this film.Plot confusion stemming from the cut video is cleared up. The colors are lush.The direction is tight and there really isn't a wasted moment in this classic.The acting is top notch as well.This is even better than Horror Of Dracula in my opinion.
Sadly this is only available on laserdisk in the USA at this time. Hopefully Anchor Bay will release a complete version of this film to the video market.All you can do is wait...
Among this horror a travelling circus comes to town. As we slowly find out most of the circus performers are vampires.Some of the animals are vampiric humans! They begin to wreak vengeance upon the village slaughtering indiscriminately.
There is a rousing finish to this as vampires and villagers square off to do battle.Who will survive?
I was lucky enough to see an uncut foreign laserdisk of this film.Plot confusion stemming from the cut video is cleared up. The colors are lush.The direction is tight and there really isn't a wasted moment in this classic.The acting is top notch as well.This is even better than Horror Of Dracula in my opinion.
Sadly this is only available on laserdisk in the USA at this time. Hopefully Anchor Bay will release a complete version of this film to the video market.All you can do is wait...
For completists of Hammer vampire lore only.
Kingkitsch19 May 2015
Well now. I'd heard a lot about "Vampire Circus" since it's disappearance back in the early 70s. Now, the blu-ray of this oddity has surfaced and we can all see what the cultists are raving about.
Strictly a drive-in movie, which should have been double-billed with something like "Return of the Dwarf Clown Vampire Circus Performers of Evil" or something like that. FREE donuts at dawn for everyone brave enough to stay all nite!!! That's where this flick should be seen.
"Circus" isn't all that terrible, but it was filmed and released around the time that Hammer was descending into bankruptcy and a lot of bare breasts were uncovered to pay the bills. The new DVD is nice, clear, and reveals all those things we like about Hammer vampires. Good color,enormous fangs, indifferent pacing, stock dimwitted characters, and those annoying twisted columns from Dracula's castle back in 1958. Hammer really got their money's worth out of that particular set, as it appears over and over in all their vampire films.
"Circus" opens nicely, with the locals aghast over the peccadilloes of resident castle-dweller Count Mitterhouse. He's a bloodsucker, sex fiend, and a pedophile! His excesses have outraged the locals, who put his reign of terror to rest. Purists here will notice that when the Count is staked from behind in bloody fashion, later shots of him rolling around on his bed show that his shirt is intact and well, pretty clean for a guy leaking blood all over. He succumbs to the stake, but curses the town. Fifteen years pass and a "disease" has come to claim the town. Pity that they never got around to clearing the mess they made by exploding the Count's castle, isn't it? They might have discovered his body lounging around in a snazzy coffin.
So, a village with plague is cut off from the rest of the world, but a threadbare circus rolls into town unimpeded. The dimwitted villagers are entranced and end up as the victims of the circus performers, who are all.....vampires!! No one saw that coming, let me tell you. Stock townies are cut down as the undead try to revive Count Mitterhouse. Will they prevail or just slink away to another Hammer flick, like "Twins of Evil" or something that depends on boobs instead of scares to keep audiences awake?
This is strictly for Hammer fans, although it's a jazzy take on the vampire mythos. The sets are claustrophobic, as you might imagine. All Hammer films end up feeling like high school plays with a tiny budget. Why do all the stricken townies attend the circus every night? Who cleaned up the litter boxes for the were-panther and the were-tiger? Evidently all the townies are fairly stupid despite warnings from the veterans of Mission Mitterhouse. Absolutely no one seems to connect the past ghoulish goings-on back to Count Mitterhouse and his faithful concubine who was allowed to run away fifteen years earlier. The climax of this tale of terror is a yawner. Everyone tries to best the bloodsuckers, but everyone has forgotten the lore. The dumb townies get knocked down and bitten like falling dominoes. It all takes place in what seems like slow motion.
A strange take on the vampire mythos from your friends at Hammer, who tried the sex-and-horror thing long before mainstream studios realized that nudity trumped scares. The rest of us in our cars at soggy Midwestern drive-ins just snoozed and waited for those free donuts at dawn. "Vampire Circus" isn't that bad, but it's not that good either.
Strictly a drive-in movie, which should have been double-billed with something like "Return of the Dwarf Clown Vampire Circus Performers of Evil" or something like that. FREE donuts at dawn for everyone brave enough to stay all nite!!! That's where this flick should be seen.
"Circus" isn't all that terrible, but it was filmed and released around the time that Hammer was descending into bankruptcy and a lot of bare breasts were uncovered to pay the bills. The new DVD is nice, clear, and reveals all those things we like about Hammer vampires. Good color,enormous fangs, indifferent pacing, stock dimwitted characters, and those annoying twisted columns from Dracula's castle back in 1958. Hammer really got their money's worth out of that particular set, as it appears over and over in all their vampire films.
"Circus" opens nicely, with the locals aghast over the peccadilloes of resident castle-dweller Count Mitterhouse. He's a bloodsucker, sex fiend, and a pedophile! His excesses have outraged the locals, who put his reign of terror to rest. Purists here will notice that when the Count is staked from behind in bloody fashion, later shots of him rolling around on his bed show that his shirt is intact and well, pretty clean for a guy leaking blood all over. He succumbs to the stake, but curses the town. Fifteen years pass and a "disease" has come to claim the town. Pity that they never got around to clearing the mess they made by exploding the Count's castle, isn't it? They might have discovered his body lounging around in a snazzy coffin.
So, a village with plague is cut off from the rest of the world, but a threadbare circus rolls into town unimpeded. The dimwitted villagers are entranced and end up as the victims of the circus performers, who are all.....vampires!! No one saw that coming, let me tell you. Stock townies are cut down as the undead try to revive Count Mitterhouse. Will they prevail or just slink away to another Hammer flick, like "Twins of Evil" or something that depends on boobs instead of scares to keep audiences awake?
This is strictly for Hammer fans, although it's a jazzy take on the vampire mythos. The sets are claustrophobic, as you might imagine. All Hammer films end up feeling like high school plays with a tiny budget. Why do all the stricken townies attend the circus every night? Who cleaned up the litter boxes for the were-panther and the were-tiger? Evidently all the townies are fairly stupid despite warnings from the veterans of Mission Mitterhouse. Absolutely no one seems to connect the past ghoulish goings-on back to Count Mitterhouse and his faithful concubine who was allowed to run away fifteen years earlier. The climax of this tale of terror is a yawner. Everyone tries to best the bloodsuckers, but everyone has forgotten the lore. The dumb townies get knocked down and bitten like falling dominoes. It all takes place in what seems like slow motion.
A strange take on the vampire mythos from your friends at Hammer, who tried the sex-and-horror thing long before mainstream studios realized that nudity trumped scares. The rest of us in our cars at soggy Midwestern drive-ins just snoozed and waited for those free donuts at dawn. "Vampire Circus" isn't that bad, but it's not that good either.
...And the winner for most gratuitous nudity of 1972 goes to...
planktonrules27 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
By about 1970, the fortunes of Hammer Studios were bleak. Despite a long string of cool horror films, the studio was deeply in debt and appeared ready to fold unless something happened..and fast. So what did they do to try to prevent the inevitable? They sexed up the films! As a result, the previously gory but innocent films were soon peppered with lots of very gratuitous nudity in the hope that these nudie monster films would attract a wider audience. In actuality, my assumption is that it did the opposite and the studio closed its doors soon after this change. Perhaps they should have just considered diversifying into some other genres. Regardless, it's all academic now. I mentioned all this because "Vampire Circus" is one of the best examples of this new Hammer film--one with lots of boobies and a distinctly adult flair. So despite this is it worth seeing? Read on...
The film begins with a long-haired and hip looking male vampire killing a child as his naked girlfriend watches and enjoys the bloodshed. Soon, however, villagers attack and the vampire has his heart pierced with the 'ol wooden stake. The nasty girlfriend remains alive and the dying vampire gives her some instructions and his heart-broken love runs off in response to his request. My question is this....WHY, if she loved him so, didn't she just pull the stake out and bring him back to life?!?! I mean, I've seen this in several other vampire movies...and you'd think she'd give it a try!! However, violating previous vampire movie lore is certainly NOT unusual--and it happens all the time (such as sparkly daytime vampires who drink animal blood in "Twilight").
In the next scene, a traveling circus troop arrives in same small town. After you see them perform the naked green tiger dance (in which an almost completely naked green-painted skull-capped lady performs simulated sex acts on her male partner), you wonder why it wasn't titled "Vampire Sex Circus"! In fact, the whole monster and vampire angle of this film seems almost irrelevant to the circus and the film in its time was probably seen as a soft-core porno film (though by today's standards it's somewhat tame). I am not a total prude, but just felt the horror aspect was all but forgotten. Soon after, bad things naturally start to occur--with the villagers turning up dead--sometimes after having been torn apart by animals--complete with lots of red paint and some cheap looking corpses and mixed body parts. Apparently the old dead vampire is ticked and cousin and his company of sick friends are helping him exact his revenge.
So what's the verdict? Is it worth seeing? Well, if you don't want to see a lot of skin, you should definitely skip this one. As for the rest, it certainly is not as good as the earlier Hammer films and seemed a bit disjoint. It's not a terrible film--just not among their better ones. It definitely falls in the category of "see this one if you've already seen the rest"! I have a few last observations. Perhaps the vampire boss was over-compensating in this film as his fangs were the longest I can recall having seen--even longer than Nosferatu's long buck-teeth. I guess this emphasis on length makes sense in a porno sort of film!! Also, the very young looking Dora was played by Lynne Frederick--last wife of Peter Sellers and later wife of David Frost. She had a rather brief film career and died very young due to substance abuse. Sad.
The film begins with a long-haired and hip looking male vampire killing a child as his naked girlfriend watches and enjoys the bloodshed. Soon, however, villagers attack and the vampire has his heart pierced with the 'ol wooden stake. The nasty girlfriend remains alive and the dying vampire gives her some instructions and his heart-broken love runs off in response to his request. My question is this....WHY, if she loved him so, didn't she just pull the stake out and bring him back to life?!?! I mean, I've seen this in several other vampire movies...and you'd think she'd give it a try!! However, violating previous vampire movie lore is certainly NOT unusual--and it happens all the time (such as sparkly daytime vampires who drink animal blood in "Twilight").
In the next scene, a traveling circus troop arrives in same small town. After you see them perform the naked green tiger dance (in which an almost completely naked green-painted skull-capped lady performs simulated sex acts on her male partner), you wonder why it wasn't titled "Vampire Sex Circus"! In fact, the whole monster and vampire angle of this film seems almost irrelevant to the circus and the film in its time was probably seen as a soft-core porno film (though by today's standards it's somewhat tame). I am not a total prude, but just felt the horror aspect was all but forgotten. Soon after, bad things naturally start to occur--with the villagers turning up dead--sometimes after having been torn apart by animals--complete with lots of red paint and some cheap looking corpses and mixed body parts. Apparently the old dead vampire is ticked and cousin and his company of sick friends are helping him exact his revenge.
So what's the verdict? Is it worth seeing? Well, if you don't want to see a lot of skin, you should definitely skip this one. As for the rest, it certainly is not as good as the earlier Hammer films and seemed a bit disjoint. It's not a terrible film--just not among their better ones. It definitely falls in the category of "see this one if you've already seen the rest"! I have a few last observations. Perhaps the vampire boss was over-compensating in this film as his fangs were the longest I can recall having seen--even longer than Nosferatu's long buck-teeth. I guess this emphasis on length makes sense in a porno sort of film!! Also, the very young looking Dora was played by Lynne Frederick--last wife of Peter Sellers and later wife of David Frost. She had a rather brief film career and died very young due to substance abuse. Sad.
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