IMDb RATING
6.3/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
As the plague sweeps the countryside, a quarantined village is visited by a mysterious traveling circus. Soon, young children begin to disappear, and the locals suspect the circus troupe mig... Read allAs the plague sweeps the countryside, a quarantined village is visited by a mysterious traveling circus. Soon, young children begin to disappear, and the locals suspect the circus troupe might be hiding a horrifying secret.As the plague sweeps the countryside, a quarantined village is visited by a mysterious traveling circus. Soon, young children begin to disappear, and the locals suspect the circus troupe might be hiding a horrifying secret.
Anthony Higgins
- Emil
- (as Anthony Corlan)
Christine Paul
- Rosa
- (as Christina Paul)
David Prowse
- Strongman
- (as Dave Prowse)
- Director
- Writers
- Jud Kinberg
- George Baxt(uncredited)
- Wilbur Stark(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film used the same sets as Twins of Evil (1971).
- GoofsAt the start, Muller raises his stake behind and above Count Mitterhaus's shoulders. The protruding stake is then shown emerging much lower, under the rib-cage.
- Alternate versionsThe BBFC examiners originally required heavy cuts to the film but many of these were successfully waived after Hammer consulted BBFC head Stephen Murphy. Among the cuts were shots of Hauser's burnt face (reduced from 2 to 1), a face stabbing during the opening skirmish in the castle (removed completely), some bloody shots during the climactic decapitation, the whipping of Gerta, erotic elements of the circus 'whip' dance, and shots of the mutilated panther victims in the forest. However the latter scenes seem to have been reduced rather than cut, leaving the results somewhat ambiguous. It is unlikely that the cut footage still survives, and all later video and DVD releases feature the UK cinema print.
- ConnectionsEdited from Lust for a Vampire (1971)
Featured review
One of the best of the Hammer vampire films
Vampire Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) is killed by a group of villagers. With his dying breath he curses the village and the men who killed him. Fifteen years later a very strange circus pulls into town led by a gypsy woman (Adrienne Corri). What nobody knows is that the circus is made up of vampires ready to avenge Mitterhaus. Also the vampires can switch from humans to animals! I've been waiting years to see this uncut. The version released in the US is 5 minutes shorter than the British one (it was cut to get a PG). I saw it originally on TV where it was cut even more and the film was virtually incomprehensible. Finally I got a Porteguese DVD of it. The print is pristine, the color is strong and there's plenty of nudity and violence. This only runs 82 minutes but there is no way this is a censored version. My guess is that the film was speeded up slightly. Finally in 2010 an uncut version was released in the US in DVD and Blu-Ray. The transfers are OK if a little too dark.
This is easily one of the best and most unusual Hammer vampire films ever. The scenes of humans changing to animals (and vice versa) are done very well. No elaborate special effects are used but it still works. The violence in this one is strong--people's throats are torn open and blood is pouring out left and right. The sequence where hero John Moulder-Brown and girlfriend Lynne Frederick face two vampires in a chapel is a highlight. Also the opening and closing sequences are fast-moving and full of extreme violence. The movie moves quickly too. There are gaps in the plot but I attribute this to the director not finishing the film in time and Hammer had to just patch together what they had. The acting is good all around but standouts are Corri, Tayman and Anthony Higgins as Emil. Also watch for the future Darth Vadar (David Prowse) as the strongman. He has his shirt off the entire time and doesn't have one line of dialogue! This is basically a good strong vampire film with good acting, strong violence and somewhat explicit sex (all the nudity is female). . I give it an 8.
This is easily one of the best and most unusual Hammer vampire films ever. The scenes of humans changing to animals (and vice versa) are done very well. No elaborate special effects are used but it still works. The violence in this one is strong--people's throats are torn open and blood is pouring out left and right. The sequence where hero John Moulder-Brown and girlfriend Lynne Frederick face two vampires in a chapel is a highlight. Also the opening and closing sequences are fast-moving and full of extreme violence. The movie moves quickly too. There are gaps in the plot but I attribute this to the director not finishing the film in time and Hammer had to just patch together what they had. The acting is good all around but standouts are Corri, Tayman and Anthony Higgins as Emil. Also watch for the future Darth Vadar (David Prowse) as the strongman. He has his shirt off the entire time and doesn't have one line of dialogue! This is basically a good strong vampire film with good acting, strong violence and somewhat explicit sex (all the nudity is female). . I give it an 8.
helpful•81
- preppy-3
- Oct 10, 2008
- How long is Vampire Circus?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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