Review of The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) by Bill R — 27 Jan 2012

I hadn't seen this film in years and wanted to see if I had come to appreciate it more but really nothing has changed from my viewpoint. The Fearless Vampire Killers is a very strange film in Roman Polanski's canon.

It's a farce beckoning back to the Hammer classic monster films about a pair of goofy vampire hunters who are on a mission to destroy a nobleman who appears to be a vampire. Visually the film is extremely well done from the beautiful sets to the Italian Alps serving as a perfect backdrop for the story.

In essence I think Polanski captures the mood and atmosphere very well but I just didnt find the film to be very funny or particularly engaging. It has its moments, particularly surrounding Roman Polanski himself playing the bumbling sidekick.

Polanski actually does a great job as this dim-witted apprentice and there are a few great gags but I just couldn't really get myself invested. Ferdy Mayne also deserves a lot of recognition for his portrayal of Dracula, which is really spot-on.

Overall it's just kinda boring and overlong but damn Sharon Tate was gorgeous in this..