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Special Features
- Vintage making-of feaurette
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
One of Roman Polanski's more overt comedies, this 1966 monster spectacle stars Jack MacGowran and Polanski as a clunky but heroic pair of vampire killers. Called upon to rescue the beautiful and buxom daughter (Sharon Tate) of an innkeeper from a Draculalike bloodsucker, the duo muddle through all sorts of scrapes, the most intense being a scene in which a room full of dancing vampires realize the human interlopers are the only ones in the room who are reflected in a mirror. Scary and funny, the film has some unforgettable set pieces, a terrific score, one of the few records of Tate's extraordinary beauty, and vibrant performances. Not exactly Polanski in a relaxed mode, but clear evidence of his estimable skills as a director of both brilliance and polish. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate. A cult classic send-up about a pair of scientists trying to kill a bloodthirsty vampire family. 1967/color/98 min/NR/widescreen.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By vintageboy
Format:DVD
My review here is for the DVD and not for the movie, which I think is masterful.
Polanski's "Vampire Killers" is one of the greatest horror spoofs ever made. Extremely atmospheric and beautifully realized. This much anticipated DVD release of the film, however, should have been much, much better. The film itself is sharp, but the colors are muddy. The previous MGM/UA laserdisc of this title looked good, and I was expecting at least the same degree of quality. I suppose the film must have further deteriorated in the last decade, because many of the shots in this DVD have a bluish tint to them. The main titles flow over a close-up image of the (gray) moon, and look way too dark and blue on this DVD. I've seen this film theatrically (as well as previous video versions) and it looks muddy here. The soundtrack is decent, and not surprisingly, in mono, as released, but even that sounds flatter here then in previous versions. Komeda's lovely score sounds a bit compressed.
As for the bonus material, it's not bad. There is a corny promo for the film, which is silly, but nice to have. The theatrical trailer also looks in good shape. However, the alternate animated opening to the film, which was available on the older laserdisc, is NOT HERE, and that, I find unexcusable.
Overall, a so-so DVD release of a classic film. Hopefully a better release will await in the future.
Polanski's "Vampire Killers" is one of the greatest horror spoofs ever made. Extremely atmospheric and beautifully realized. This much anticipated DVD release of the film, however, should have been much, much better. The film itself is sharp, but the colors are muddy. The previous MGM/UA laserdisc of this title looked good, and I was expecting at least the same degree of quality. I suppose the film must have further deteriorated in the last decade, because many of the shots in this DVD have a bluish tint to them. The main titles flow over a close-up image of the (gray) moon, and look way too dark and blue on this DVD. I've seen this film theatrically (as well as previous video versions) and it looks muddy here. The soundtrack is decent, and not surprisingly, in mono, as released, but even that sounds flatter here then in previous versions. Komeda's lovely score sounds a bit compressed.
As for the bonus material, it's not bad. There is a corny promo for the film, which is silly, but nice to have. The theatrical trailer also looks in good shape. However, the alternate animated opening to the film, which was available on the older laserdisc, is NOT HERE, and that, I find unexcusable.
Overall, a so-so DVD release of a classic film. Hopefully a better release will await in the future.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Speaking only as a fan of this movie and not wanting to get into any technical aspects, this is a very charming movie that really deserves better than it's been treated. While some may deride this as fluff and a showcase for Sharon Tate or, even worse, a mediocre attempt at broad humor by Polanski, it is none of those. It's clever, witty and very dry in it's humor.
"Oy, have you got the wrong vampire." Teases Shagal.
As a nine year old, when this was released, I did not get that at all. But later I noticed this type of causual and sardonic humor was peppered throughout the dialog. You just have to catch it. This movie suffers with a cropped version. Every inch of the screen is used here. From the crowd at the Inn to the vampire's ball, you need to see this in it's original format. For years the only available widescreen version has been on laser disc, although a Brazilian DVD has surfaced using the same transfer. Comparing all formats, it's no wonder fans have been screaming for a decent print of this film. Warners has the masters, so they should be releasing a very good looking DVD.
So, a review. A very unique and different vampire movie. Yes, I know, they all say that. But in 1967, it was. Having nothing to do with Dracula, who's story had been flogged to death even back then, or horrible family curses, it showed a completely different history of vampirism. This played on a double bill with "House Of Dark Shadows", which scared me to death, and was a great counterpoint to the serious attitude of the legend. Roman Polanski is a very good actor. His scene with the count's son still kills me to this day. He is also a great director who can work with seasoned actors and get great perfomances from them.
Why is this a cult movie and sometimes panned? Who knows. Perhaps coming after two intense and psychologically dramatic movies this shocked and disappointed people in the same way his Pirates did. Speilberg had his 1941, which I thought was brillant, so it seems certain expectations are demanded of directors. You can't please everyone, so why try? Because you're creative and can't help yourself. That's why a movie like Fearless Vampire Killers exsists.
"Oy, have you got the wrong vampire." Teases Shagal.
As a nine year old, when this was released, I did not get that at all. But later I noticed this type of causual and sardonic humor was peppered throughout the dialog. You just have to catch it. This movie suffers with a cropped version. Every inch of the screen is used here. From the crowd at the Inn to the vampire's ball, you need to see this in it's original format. For years the only available widescreen version has been on laser disc, although a Brazilian DVD has surfaced using the same transfer. Comparing all formats, it's no wonder fans have been screaming for a decent print of this film. Warners has the masters, so they should be releasing a very good looking DVD.
So, a review. A very unique and different vampire movie. Yes, I know, they all say that. But in 1967, it was. Having nothing to do with Dracula, who's story had been flogged to death even back then, or horrible family curses, it showed a completely different history of vampirism. This played on a double bill with "House Of Dark Shadows", which scared me to death, and was a great counterpoint to the serious attitude of the legend. Roman Polanski is a very good actor. His scene with the count's son still kills me to this day. He is also a great director who can work with seasoned actors and get great perfomances from them.
Why is this a cult movie and sometimes panned? Who knows. Perhaps coming after two intense and psychologically dramatic movies this shocked and disappointed people in the same way his Pirates did. Speilberg had his 1941, which I thought was brillant, so it seems certain expectations are demanded of directors. You can't please everyone, so why try? Because you're creative and can't help yourself. That's why a movie like Fearless Vampire Killers exsists.
59 of 72 people found the following review helpful
By cookieman108
Format:DVD
I haven't seen all of writer/director/actor/producer Roman Polanski's films, but the ones I have seen have kind of been hit or miss propositions for me. On the one hand I thought Rosemary's Baby (1968) to be a wonderfully creepy film, but on the other The Tenant (1976) while interesting, I thought to be slightly confusing and lacking a strong sense of direction. Chinatown (1974) is acknowledged by many to be a classic (to which I'd agree), while The Ninth Gate (1999) tended to annoy me with a pretentious ambiguity stemming from a European stylization of making a film obtuse and inaccessible to audiences...of course, these are all just my own, personal opinions, which really don't mean squat in the grand scheme of things...at the end of the day one should really draw their own conclusions based on their own, personal experiences. As far as the film The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (1967) goes, I enjoyed it as it served to reaffirmed something which I already knew...whether you like Polanski's films or not, his features are so very individualistic, rarely transgressing on each other, displaying his immeasurable talents, vision, and his ability to adapt to a wide range of material. Co-written by Gérard Brach (Repulsion) and Polanski (the latter also directed and starred), the film features performances by Jack MacGowran (Tom Jones, Doctor Zhivago), Alfie Bass (The Lavender Hill Mob), Ferdy Mayne (Where Eagles Dare, The Vampire Lovers), Iain Quarrier (Cul-de-sac), and Sharon Tate (Valley of the Dolls), who would later marry Polanski about a year prior to her murder (and that of their unborn child) at the hands of Charles Manson and his cult followers.
As the film opens, it's a moonlit night, and we see a horse drawn sled traveling down a snowy road, the occupant of the sled being the driver, Professor Abronsius (MacGowran), and the Professor's assistant Alfred (Polanski), who, on the surface, appear to be a pair of buffoons, but in such a way where the same buffoonery that gets them into trouble, also get them out, illustrated throughout the story. Seems the Professor, who has long since been labeled `a nut' by his once colleagues, is traveling the Transylvanian countryside in order to further his knowledge about vampires and their ilk. After arriving at a small village and availing themselves of the services of the local inn, telltale signs abound with regards to the presence of vampire activity within the area...the interiors of the inn are decorated with strings of garlic cloves, a hunchback arrives at the inn to collect supplies, and so on...and sure enough, not soon after their arrival, the innkeeper's daughter Sarah (Tate) is abducted, her father killed (and subsequently turned) while searching for her, and the boys are off to a nearby castle in order to find her, the Professor with an eye towards proving the theories which he's read, and Alfred more so because he's become smitten with the girl. They eventually do find the castle, along with its master, in that of Count von Krolock (Mayne), along with the Count's very effeminate son Herbert (Quarrier)...quite the aristocratic pair they are...the Professor and Alfred find themselves guests of the Count and learn of a grand gala approaching, one to be held within the castle, a sort of cadaverous celebration where the boys may not only be the guests of honor, but also the main course...
I've given some details about the plot, but there's really no way what I've written displays all the wonderful aspects inherent within the story and the film itself. There is just so much going on at any one point one could watch this film a number of times and still see something new each viewing. One of the aspects that impressed me the most, from the beginning and throughout the film, was the extensive amount of detail and attention to creating a complete sense of putting the viewer within the context of the story. It's like a fairy tale come to life. The period sets and pieces are exquisitely beautiful and intricate, featuring a serious eye towards detailing, as are the props, costumes, backdrops, etc. There's just such a pervasive feel to the entire film in terms of providing the appropriate gothic setting, something that used to be a common factor in both Hammer and Universal horror productions during their respective heydays...and keep in mind, this is supposed to a mixing of comedy and horror. And when I say comedy, I don't mean the laugh out kind (there is a good deal of slapstick, but that's not the specific humor I'm talking about here), but a slinky, subtle type of humor blended as well as I've ever seen in a cross genre film. A perfect example of this delicate melding comes in the sequence when Alfred, while searching the castle rooms for Sarah, accidentally walks in on the Count's dandy of a son Herbert. The comic touches in Herbert's coy advances soon erupt into an explosion of fanged violence that results in a Keystone Cops type chase through the castle. Another one of my favorite sequences is when the Count and his son are preparing to retire to their ornate coffins prior to the sun rising, aided by their hunchbacked manservant Koukol. After they get settled in (and boxed up), here comes Shagal (Bass), the once innkeeper now vampire, dragging his meager pine box into the crypts with the intent of also settling in for the day. Koukol, seeing this as an affront to his masters, proceeds to unceremoniously drag the coffin, which Shagal is now sitting in, down to the stables, as that's a seemingly more appropriate setting from someone of his class, with Shagal weakly protesting the entire way. The performances are strong all around, particularly that of Count von Krolock, played by Mayne. He embodies the aristocratic and sinister features one would expect from his character, along with including enough distinctions to separate his character from those of his cinematic ilk. Another wonderful aspect is the original music provided by regular Polanski collaborator and composer Krzysztof Komeda. It's suave, sophisticated, spooky, enchanting, oft times understated, and compliments film without actually drawing away from the visuals. All in all this is perhaps one of the best crafted films I've seen straddling two genres that normally don't play well together, and worth a look for those who can appreciate the expertise involved. In terms of contemporary artists, I might compare this to the better outings by individuals like Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton.
Presented on this DVD is the original version of the film, the one seen by European audiences. Apparently, prior to the film's American release, MGM had mangled it pretty well, removing about ten minutes, adding a new opening sequence, and hacking the soundtrack to pieces, which might explain why it didn't do as well here as it did overseas. The anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) does looks very good, but there does seem room for improvement. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through clean. As far as extras, there's a theatrical trailer for the film (also presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, along with a comical vintage featurette titled The Fearless Vampire Killers: Vampires 101 (10:18) which appears to be a lengthy promotional piece created to help advertise the film back when it was originally released.
Cookieman108
As the film opens, it's a moonlit night, and we see a horse drawn sled traveling down a snowy road, the occupant of the sled being the driver, Professor Abronsius (MacGowran), and the Professor's assistant Alfred (Polanski), who, on the surface, appear to be a pair of buffoons, but in such a way where the same buffoonery that gets them into trouble, also get them out, illustrated throughout the story. Seems the Professor, who has long since been labeled `a nut' by his once colleagues, is traveling the Transylvanian countryside in order to further his knowledge about vampires and their ilk. After arriving at a small village and availing themselves of the services of the local inn, telltale signs abound with regards to the presence of vampire activity within the area...the interiors of the inn are decorated with strings of garlic cloves, a hunchback arrives at the inn to collect supplies, and so on...and sure enough, not soon after their arrival, the innkeeper's daughter Sarah (Tate) is abducted, her father killed (and subsequently turned) while searching for her, and the boys are off to a nearby castle in order to find her, the Professor with an eye towards proving the theories which he's read, and Alfred more so because he's become smitten with the girl. They eventually do find the castle, along with its master, in that of Count von Krolock (Mayne), along with the Count's very effeminate son Herbert (Quarrier)...quite the aristocratic pair they are...the Professor and Alfred find themselves guests of the Count and learn of a grand gala approaching, one to be held within the castle, a sort of cadaverous celebration where the boys may not only be the guests of honor, but also the main course...
I've given some details about the plot, but there's really no way what I've written displays all the wonderful aspects inherent within the story and the film itself. There is just so much going on at any one point one could watch this film a number of times and still see something new each viewing. One of the aspects that impressed me the most, from the beginning and throughout the film, was the extensive amount of detail and attention to creating a complete sense of putting the viewer within the context of the story. It's like a fairy tale come to life. The period sets and pieces are exquisitely beautiful and intricate, featuring a serious eye towards detailing, as are the props, costumes, backdrops, etc. There's just such a pervasive feel to the entire film in terms of providing the appropriate gothic setting, something that used to be a common factor in both Hammer and Universal horror productions during their respective heydays...and keep in mind, this is supposed to a mixing of comedy and horror. And when I say comedy, I don't mean the laugh out kind (there is a good deal of slapstick, but that's not the specific humor I'm talking about here), but a slinky, subtle type of humor blended as well as I've ever seen in a cross genre film. A perfect example of this delicate melding comes in the sequence when Alfred, while searching the castle rooms for Sarah, accidentally walks in on the Count's dandy of a son Herbert. The comic touches in Herbert's coy advances soon erupt into an explosion of fanged violence that results in a Keystone Cops type chase through the castle. Another one of my favorite sequences is when the Count and his son are preparing to retire to their ornate coffins prior to the sun rising, aided by their hunchbacked manservant Koukol. After they get settled in (and boxed up), here comes Shagal (Bass), the once innkeeper now vampire, dragging his meager pine box into the crypts with the intent of also settling in for the day. Koukol, seeing this as an affront to his masters, proceeds to unceremoniously drag the coffin, which Shagal is now sitting in, down to the stables, as that's a seemingly more appropriate setting from someone of his class, with Shagal weakly protesting the entire way. The performances are strong all around, particularly that of Count von Krolock, played by Mayne. He embodies the aristocratic and sinister features one would expect from his character, along with including enough distinctions to separate his character from those of his cinematic ilk. Another wonderful aspect is the original music provided by regular Polanski collaborator and composer Krzysztof Komeda. It's suave, sophisticated, spooky, enchanting, oft times understated, and compliments film without actually drawing away from the visuals. All in all this is perhaps one of the best crafted films I've seen straddling two genres that normally don't play well together, and worth a look for those who can appreciate the expertise involved. In terms of contemporary artists, I might compare this to the better outings by individuals like Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton.
Presented on this DVD is the original version of the film, the one seen by European audiences. Apparently, prior to the film's American release, MGM had mangled it pretty well, removing about ten minutes, adding a new opening sequence, and hacking the soundtrack to pieces, which might explain why it didn't do as well here as it did overseas. The anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) does looks very good, but there does seem room for improvement. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through clean. As far as extras, there's a theatrical trailer for the film (also presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, along with a comical vintage featurette titled The Fearless Vampire Killers: Vampires 101 (10:18) which appears to be a lengthy promotional piece created to help advertise the film back when it was originally released.
Cookieman108
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant mix of horror and comedy
One of my favorite films, this wonderful precursor to "Rosemary's Baby" is that rare mix of atmospheric horror with dark humor that actually works. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Mark C. Cuadrado
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kinda goofy but good!
I saw this movie at a walk in years ago and I mean years ago. The movie is not scary but is a spoof at horror movies in my opinion. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Don
3.0 out of 5 stars
I wasn't sure what to expect...
I watched this solely on the fact that it was directed by Roman Polanski. I had never heard of any of the actors. And it was mildly entertaining but still fairly predictable. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Cannyone
1.0 out of 5 stars
Like Monty Python preformed by drunk jocks.
I was really pleased to see this available on Prime. I was to young to see it back in the 60s, but I remember how everybody raved about it. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Bradley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Polanski at his best.
Fantastic ! This is a great example of a classics movie. Wonderful color and a great bit of comedy added to the classic story !
Published 22 days ago by Mark Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool
Cheap copy of a very interesting vampire flick made by a disgusting pedophile starring one of the Manson family victims. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Ethan S. Guymon
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Husband's Purchase.
My husband had me purchase 2 of these movies, one for him, and one for his sister. I guess this movie brought back some memories from their childhood! Read more
Published 1 month ago by CharleneR
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it or loathe it!
This was one of my mum's favs back in the early 70's and I can remember watching it with her when I was a kid. Loved it then simply as a vampire movie. Still one of my favs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by B Vourtis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Vampire Thriller!!!
This movie still has the suspense,hilarity,and endearment that it had over thirty years ago when I was in my early teens. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ken R.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A camp classic
This wonderful early Polanski masterpiece exudes quality along multiple dimensions: comedy, music, plot, and character development. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lynn Cole
