The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Plot Summary: An eccentric vampire hunter and his bumbling assistant travel to Transylvania to rescue an innkeeper's daughter from an aristocratic vampire count.

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Gene Gutowski
Screenplay: Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski

Starring:
Jack MacGowran as Professor Abronsius
Roman Polanski as Alfred
Sharon Tate as Sarah Shagal
Alfie Bass as Yoine Shagal
Ferdy Mayne as Count von Krolock

Music: Krzysztof Komeda
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Editing: Alastair McIntyre

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⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

A Divided Verdict on a Polanski Classic

Well, finally we have Transylvania - the birthplace of vampires. I've already seen "The Fearless Vampire Killers" before and I love this movie, so I'm glad we're ending our vampire week with it. This film reminds me of Soviet fairy tales, with its scenery, the clothes and landscapes. That's probably why I like it so much. It's grotesque as it is. The story is more comical than scary and I think that Roman Polanski managed to make a movie for all time, as it is thought out to the smallest detail, it has a lot of charm, humor and imagination.

Hello Krasnaya, indeed, we got traditional bloodsuckers for our last movie of our themed week. Even though I'm not very pleased with having pedo Polanski on my blog, I've been wanting for sometime to watch this movie and get it done with. What pisses me off the most about this guy is that he was never handed over to justice. Above the law he is. The child molesting? Everyone is OK with that in Hollywood, you just need to read the name signatures in the 2009 petition put together to forgive this scumbag. With that in mind, it is hard for me to have sympathy for this weasel face acting all innocent and sweet with his character of the professor's assistant in this movie.

Great Characters, Outdated Humour

I love every character in this story. They are so textured, thought out in detail and so different. It feels like they were first worked out in detail by a cartoonist, and then skillfully played by amazing actors. Crazy obsessed Professor Abronsius (Jack MacGowran) with a unique haircut done by electric shock and a chic mustache - he is as prone to accidents as he is lucky. Nosed Alfred (Roman Polanski), scared stiff at the sight of a vampire. The innkeeper's daughter Sarah (Sharon Tate) is an alien beauty who loves to take baths. And, of course, Count von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne), a true vampire with the manners of an aristocrat.

It's undeniable that the movie has great production design, but that's not enough to make it for me. This was mostly a boring experience because the humor was very outdated. People falling or sexual hints do not amuse me. There are probably some vampire movie parody elements that I didn't understand and that are lost in time. The only moment I laughed out loud was when the Professor asked if Alfred had eaten something because he smelled garlic sausage. That line reminded me of inspector Clouseau and I just love Peter Sellers.

Final Thoughts: Atmosphere Over Laughs

The vampires are cool but very weak and have such bad senses. They struggle to catch humans and are easily defeated by them in arm wrestling. The excuse that this is a comedy doesn't work for me. You have the clumsy heroic duo taking out two old vampires really easily in order to disguise themselves with their clothes. Such a naivete scene like this made me feel stupid. The movie is a little bit more interesting towards the end when they first try to nail the sleeping vampires, but all the charm this movie could have had is destroyed because I can't disconnect from the pedo in the movie. If this was remarkably outstanding and like nothing you've seen before, I would recommend it. Not the case. Polanski is not worth your attention with this one.

I can talk about the film endlessly, but it's better just to watch it. It has everything - atmosphere, entertainment, a wonderfully selected sound range by the talented Krzysztof Komeda. I think I'll rewatch it with my daughter when she's big enough to see her reaction.

Freddy's Score

39/100

Krasnaya's Score

77/100

FINAL SCORE

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