The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

I was about 10 years old when my Dad, the school principal, showed this at Friday movie night at school. I could barely walk the one block home afterwards.! Every shadow filled me with dread a vampire was there. Over the years I had bad dreams involving scenes from this movie. In my 30's, I couldn't remember the title but still had dreams involving the castle and vampires. One day I saw an ad on TV for the movie. "That's the one that scared me so many years ago" I told my wife. Watching it, I realized it was a comedy and my dreams stopped. I eventually found it on DVD and still watch it occasionally. It's a brilliant movie, scary music, with wonderful acting and directing by Mr. Polanski.

I can remember watching this on TV under it's original - and better - British title, Dance of the Vampires, back in the 1980's & found it both silly & boring. However, now that I have matured, I can now appreciate it for the beautiful masterpiece that it is. Absolutely stunning sets, locations & camera work, great cast, a perfect blend of humour & horror and haunting musical score. One of the best vampire movies ever made. Genius.

Honestly, I believe that so many people dislike this movie because they can't understand what the actors are saying; the audio is very bad. Turn on captions the first time you watch it and imagine it as a foreign film in a foreign language (Polanski is, after all, a young foreign director at the time). It's true (and a little obvious) that some of the lines are dubbed and the actors are talking too fast (a mistake that Polanski made with his directing, although he, himself, allows his character to talk too slow). However, again, captions compensate for all of that.My one great criticism of this endearingly quirky, surreal, and amateurish film is that Polanski just doesn't translate humor very well with his acting. He should have cast another actor in his role.

One of Director Roman Polanski's Most Divisive Films. There are Those That Consider it a Masterpiece and Others, Well, Not So Much.This Vampire Spoof is Beautifully Shot and Contain Sets of Enormous Elegance with Detailed and Interesting Fills. It Cannot Be Denied its Craftsmanship and Obvious Talent Behind the Camera.However, it Does Move at a Rather Languishing Pace. Some Scenes, Especially Before They Get to the Castle, Seem Padded and Forced. But Once the Castle is the Backdrop the Film Kicks Into High Gear and the Remainder is Breathtaking and Highly Amusing.The Film had a Troubled Pre-Release with Different Opinions from Producers and Polanski and was Released Cut to Shreds. It Flopped Big-Time but Has Since Gained a Reputation and Admiration for its Brilliance, Mostly for the Display and the Humor Secondary.A Must See for Polanski Fans and Horror Movie Enthusiasts, but it's an Acquired Taste and Multiple Viewings Add More Appreciation. Expectations are High Going In Considering the Director. This Was Made Prior to "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) and "Chinatown" (1974), but After "Repulsion" (1964).Note...The beautiful and radiant Sharon Tate is highlighted by many viewers as a small but welcome addition to the Film. Her marriage to Roman Polanski was to follow as was her tragic and brutal death at the hands of the Manson Family.