I can remember the first time I ever saw VAMPIRE CIRCUS. It
was a dusk till dawn screening around Halloween and it was the last film being
shown out of I think four movies that night. I’d never seen the film before but
had heard it was from Hammer and that was all it took to convince me we had to
see it. My friends and I went and I remember thinking how good the film was.
I’d never had a chance to see the film again until recently when I picked up a
copy from Synapse Films. With the stellar offerings they’d presented before I
knew I’d be in good hands. I wasn’t disappointed.
The one thing I was surprised by was the amount of eroticism
in the film as well as the amount of blood. Could it have been this was my
first exposure to gore in horror films? Or was the version I saw the watered
down version and this my first time seeing the film as it was originally shot?
I can’t say for certain but it remains a good movie.
The film opens with Jenny, a young child, being escorted to
a nearby castle by Anna (Domini Blythe) the wife of local schoolmaster Albert
Muller (Laurence Payne) who follows trying to stop her. He fails and the young
girl is presented to the evil Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) who immediately
drains her of blood before bedding down Anna. Returning with the local
villagers as well as Jenny’s father and the Burgermeister. They break in to
find the girl’s body and the count aloof and uncaring. When asked what he’s
done with Muller’s wife he responds “Nothing she didn’t want me to”. Captured
by the villagers and staked through the heart he swears vengeance on them all
and their children before dying. They blow up the castle, Anna left inside
along with the Count, before leaving.
Years pass, their children grow up and the town is now the
victim of the plague. Cut off from the rest of the world many believe it is the
vengeance of the count but the local doctor insists it is just the plague and
sets out to bypass the guards along the road to get help and medicine. While
he’s gone a circus comes to town promising delights to take people’s minds off
of their troubles.
But the circus is merely a front for kin to the disposed
count there to resurrect him using the blood of the children of the
townspeople. While performing a tiger transforms into a body painted woman
writhing about in ecstasy while her tamer cracks his whip, tumblers transform
into bats flying above the crowd and back again before landing and a panther
changes into a gypsy prince. All of this is used to lure the young children to
check out things behind tents and for those who are older to seduce them and
take them to the castle remnants.
As members of the village begin to realize what is actually
taking place it may be too late. Children are murdered drained of blood,
villagers attempt to leave only to be mauled by the panther and those older
children who were seduced fall into bed with the enemy. It will take the
village elders to muster the support they need to rid the town of the plague of
vampires that now hold them hostage as they attempt to being Count Mitterhaus
back.
For a movie made in 1972 the first striking thing is the
amount of gore and nudity in the film. I know much of this had to have been
removed from the version I saw because, as is noted on IMDB, the film only had
a PG rating. That still didn’t prevent certain images from being seen like the
body painted tiger woman. In watching Synapse version much more makes sense
with the added images of vampires and women in seductive trysts.
But it’s not just the amount of nudity now found but the
gore as well. That I actually can’t recall if it was included in that old
version or not. But here we have plenty of brightly colored red blood spilled
and on view as well as dismembered and mauled bodies. There are also several
well done impalements with the most notable being a huge church cross.
One thing of note that makes this film different from two
other Hammer titles released by Synapse is that this movie is definitely a
horror film. While both COUNTESS DRACULA and HANDS OF THE RIPPER might be seen
as drama pieces, this one is riddled with long fangs and blood gouged necks
aplenty so that there is no mistaking it for anything but a horror film. And
for horror fans that’s a good thing.
The movie holds up after all this time since seeing it over
40 odd years ago. The music is still eerily creepy, the vampires devoid of all
morality and the circus has an almost surreal feel to it that makes you uneasy
while watching the performances. The acting in the film along with everything
from set design to costumes to makeup to directing combines to tell a tale that
doesn’t feel watered down or old. It’s a solid horror film all the way.
As with their other Hammer releases Synapse has outdone
themselves on this one when it comes to extras as well as presenting the film
in 1080p high definition. They include “The Bloodiest Show On Earth: The Making
of Vampire Circus” an all-new documentary with interviews of people like
director Joe Dante, actor David Prowse who plays a strongman in the circus and
more, “Gallery of Grotesqueries: A Brief History of Circus Horrors” a
retrospective on circus/carnival themed horror films, “Visiting the House of
Hammer” a retrospective on Britain’s popular horror magazine of the same name
with author Philip Nutman, an interactive comic book of the movie with artwork
by Brian Bolland, a poster and stills gallery and the original theatrical
trailer.
If you’ve not seen the film this is your chance to see it in
the best format possible. If you’re a horror fan it is a must have for your
collection. Synapse shines once more with the release of a movie from Hammer
making you wish they’d have access to more.
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