Vampire Circus1972

Director
Robert Young

Acters

Adrienne Corri (Gypsy Woman)
Thorley Walters (Burgermeister)
Anthony Higgins (Emil)
John Moulder-Brown (Anton)
Laurence Payne (Mueller)
Richard Owens (Dr. Kersh)

Traveling performers take revenge against the Serbian villagers whose ancestors killed their leader 15 years ago.
The villagers of Schtetel find that the vampire Count Mitterhouse has abducted a young girl and drunken her blood, as well as seduced the wife of one of the villagers. In anger, they stake the Count and burn his castle to the ground. Count Mitterhouse dies promising that he will drink the blood of their children to return to life. Fifteen years later the village is visited by the Circus of Nights. The circus’s performers enchant the villagers with their seemingly magical abilities. However, they are in reality the vampire brood of Count Mitterhouse and have come to seduce the children of the village and devour their blood in order to resurrect the count from his coffin.
“’Vampire Circus’ is a very watchable and another reason to beat up anyone who says Hammer were crap in the 70s. I challenge anyone not to enjoy it. ‘Vampire Circus’ has stood the test of time – and today’s filmmakers could do worse than to take a look at it if they’re constructing a vampire tale of their own. It adds a sense of crazy paced style sadly lacking in today’s turgid gore fests.” – British Horror Films
“Just when it seemed that they had played out the vampire theme altogether, Hammer came up with what may be the best of the lot, an often overlooked film entitled ‘Vampire Circus’. What it does have is an iconography as conventionalised and ritualistic as that of a Japanese ‘Noh’ play, especially in the choreography of the bloody finale. This is almost a vampire ballet.” – HorrorNews.net
“Watch it for the rich subtext and the multiple readings that can come from it. It really is Hammer doing some of its finest work.” – Classic-Horror