Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Editor's Note Following the success of REPULSION, THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS was Roman Polanski's first big-budget film, a noticeably more upscale and lavish production than any of his previous offerings. Professor Ambronsius (Jack MacGowran), an eccentric old academic specializing in the study of bats, and his bumbling but well-meaning assistant, Alfred (brilliantly played by Polanski himself), travel to a small village in snowbound Transylvania (actually, filming took place in the Italian Alps) that has been plagued by a clan of local vampires. After innkeeper Shagal's comely daughter, Sarah (Sharon Tate), is abducted by Count Von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne), Ambronsius and Alfred venture out to the count's castle to rid the area of its bloodsucking parasites once and for all--a dangerous undertaking indeed, especially since it soon becomes apparent that traditional weapons against the undead are not quite as effective as folklore would have one believe and that attractive young maidens are not the only ones in danger of becoming victims of a vampire' uninvited advances. One of Polanski's most impressive achievements in FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS is presenting viewers with a perfectly executed horror-parody while at the same time maintaining a consistent underlying sense of dread.

	Alfie Bass
	Jack MacGowran
	Jessie Robbins
	Roman Polanski
	Sharon Tate
	Alistair McIntyre - Editor
	Douglas Slocombe - Cinematographer
	Gene Gutowski - Producer
	Gerard Brach - Writer
	Martin Ransohoff - Executive Producer
	Roman Polanski - Director
	Wilfred Shingleton - Production Designer

In this send-up of Dracula films, a professor and his assistant go to central Europe in search of vampires that terrorize the residents of Slovenia. They meet Count Dracula, who is using an alias, and witness the legions of vampires rising from their coffins. They escape but bring along a girl who has been attacked--and who continues to spread the curse. USA Today
"...[With] authentic mood, production design and Christopher Komeda's superb musical score..." 07/09/1993 p.8D

Premiere
"[With] very eccentric charm." 11/01/2004 p.101

Uncut
"[A] delightful oddity. There's a dream-like, gothic quality to it..." 11/01/2004 p.158

Sight and Sound
"[H]andsomely shot and designed..." 02/01/2005 p.83