Review of The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) by Blais E — 06 Feb 2011

Wacky, wild-and-woolly horror- comedy, a loving tribute to the wondrous vamp-movies of yore, (Especially the Hammer-Christopher Lee series-) directed with a palpable European flair by (And also starring-) Roman Polanski, way before his pedophilic yearnings got him in some serious trouble.

Wonderfully evocative of the classics, dripping with mood & atmosphere & outstanding cinematography. It also contains some effectively-unsettling sequences (The vampiric attack in the bath-tub is frightening & extremely well-staged-), coupled with oodles of slapstick humor, & very broad, cartoonish characters, especially wirey British actor Jack McGowran as eccentric mop-topped Vampire-Hunter Professor Abronsius & Polanski as his craven, squealing assistant.

Other standouts in the cast are Ferdy Mayne as the formidably-suave & memorably-vicious vamp Count Von Krolock, Terry Downs as his hideously ugly hunch-backed caretaker, Alfie Bass as innkeeper Yoine Shagal, a VERY Jewish bloodsucker (He almost runs away with the entire film-), Jessie Robbins as his enormous sausage-wielding wife, Iain Quarrier as the Count's flamingly-effeminate vampire-son, and the heart-breakingly beautiful Sharon Tate as Shagal's ill-fated daughter.

Watching this film is a very bittersweet experience; she's very enjoyable in the movie, and you'll really wish there were more of her in it--she gives a very sweet, unaffected & natural performance & it makes it all the more painful thinking about her future untimely and very-tragic death.

With an interesting animated opening-credit sequence, & featuring really creepy soundtrack music throughout. A one-of-a-kind novelty.