Again, as per usual with a Hammer production the
cinematography is colorful, the effects are charmingly cheap, the acting is solid
and the pacing is great.
What I Didn’t Like: While the base plot is fine the
circus element makes the picture pretty hard to take seriously. I don’t have anything against the circus per
se (except for making animals do tricks, whipping them and keeping them in
small cages) but it’s not something that excites me or that I’m interested in. In fact it makes me less likely to check a
movie out. But that’s personal preference
and not a real knock against the film.
The vampire at the beginning that sets this whole thing in motion
is way too 70’s looking for what’s supposed to be the 1800’s. It might be the haircut primarily. Although the choker necklace is weird too.
Overall Impressions: Among the handful of Hammer
pictures I’ve seen this is a weaker one.
It’s still fun and engaging though.
When the vamps flash their fangs, hiss and go for the jugular it’s immensely
satisfying because this is classic bloodsucker aesthetic and behavior. Instead of reinventing this type of character
Hammer likes to put them in different situations. Like with Dracula A.D. 1972 they
predicted how the main man himself would react to (then) modern day
London. Or with The Legend of the 7 Golden
Vampires they took the show on the road and wondered what a gang of ancient
Chinese vampires would be like. It’s
fantastic that somebody was willing to explore these ideas and throw an actual
budget and talent behind them.
Vampire Circus is in line with the brand and an easy
watch. If you’re looking for a vampire
film with a slight new twist you could do worse. However, if you’re looking for a movie that
has an interpretive dance between a naked woman painted to look like a large green
cat and her tamer then this is probably one of the best in that category.
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