After a spate of murders, the villagers of Schtettel kill the depraved perpetrator, Count Mitterhouse. Fifteen years later the Circus of Nights appeared in the plague-ridden village and its performers include Mitterhouse's mistress, children and cousins. They have come to Schtettel to fulfil the Count's last words, an evil, vicious curse of death and destruction on those who participated in his impaling. The children of Schtettel become the targets for a brutal and devastating revenge as the Vampire Circus rehearses for its most deadly performance.
Adrienne Corri
Gypsy Woman
Thorley Walters
Burgermeister
Anthony Higgins
Emil
John Moulder-Brown
Anton Kersh
Laurence Payne
Prof. Albert Mueller
Richard Owens
Dr. Kersh
Lynne Frederick
Dora Mueller
Skip Martin
Michael
Domini Blythe
Anna
Robert Tayman
Count Mitterhaus
Lalla Ward
Helga
Elizabeth Seal
Gerta
Robin Hunter
Hauser
John Bown
Schilt
Mary Wimbush
Elvira
Christine Paul-Podlasky
Rosa
Robin Sachs
Heinrich
Roderick Shaw
Jon
Barnaby Shaw
Gustav
David Prowse
Strongman
Wuchak
Unknown Hammer vampire flick is subpar, but has its attractions
Early in the 19th century a dying vampire curses a Serbian village, which is visited fifteen years later by a sinister circus of vampires & their acolytes who seek to resurrect the diabolical Count via the blood of youths from the hamlet.
“Vampire Circus” (1971-1972) is an obscure Hammer production from their declining years. It’s technically not as good as the contemporaneous “Countess Dracula” or the earlier “The Vampire Lovers” (1970), although it arguably contains more sensationalist thrills. Along with the slightly subpar vibe, it seems more dated than Hammer’s earlier Dracula flicks, like “Dracula, Prince of Darkness” (1966), “Dracula has Risen from the Grave” (1968) and “Taste the Blood of Dracula” (1970).
If you can handle the low-rent, kitschy air there’s enough to appreciate here for fans of Gothic Hammer flicks. As usual, the colors are bright and the women are a highlight. This one features Domini Blythe as Anna, the vampire’s aide in the long prologue; Adrienne Corri as the Gypsy ringmaster; Christine Paul as Rosa, who has the hots for the Count’s cousin; Lynne Frederick as the winsomely youthful Dora; and Lalla Ward as the acrobat twin, Helga.
No doubt later films “Something Wicked this Way Comes” (1983) and “Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (2009) were influenced by “Vampire Circus.”
The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes and was shot at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England.
GRADE: C+/B-
Reviews provided by TMDB
Comments