Customer Reviews

Fearless Vampire Killers, the

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This film is not for everyone. There are people who have no patience for films that don't blast out of the screen at them. If you like Polanski, Hammer horror films (which this film strongly parodies), fantasy/horror style stories (read Company of Wolves here), and can appreciate old fashioned Abbott and Costello style humour, then you'll have no problem settling beautifully into this film. The cinematography is gorgeous, the soundtrack is fresh, the film is slightly out of step with most of Polanski's fare which is neat to see (although if you've watched his old film school shorts you can appreciate the progression a little better). Like any Polanski film it does drag a little in the 3rd quarter, but you always know that you will be repaid in spades with his movies. Moreover, this film does come with a hefty dose of hidden social commentary on the state of Poland and Jewish affairs after the war (you need not see them, but if you're looking they become apparent). Also seeing Polanski act is lovely, and I think one of the strongest points of this film is seeing the beautiful Sharon Tate as she was in the 60s, and watching the looks that she and Polanski give each other grow progressively more intimate as the filming progresses. This is actually my favorite Polanski film, and I thought that I would weigh in an alternative opinion given the other reviews. I'm sure at least one of them is simply a sad American 14 year-old wearing black spandex and wishing he hadn't wasted his allowance renting a movie about vampires which didn't have Victorian-era anemia patients crying with each other and holding goblets. This is a fine piece of cinema, you just need to know what you're getting into.

We saw the film long time ago and wish our son and daughter to watch it because it is classic.

This is a great vampire movie. Rent it for halloween. It's filmed really well and it is a real vampire movie although it's a comedy.

The atmosphere in this film is amazing, it has a very dreamlike quality to it. The eerie castle and snowy hills will thoroughly absorb you and the story itself is light and funny. But it's not the type of film everyone will appreciate, its definately not one to be taken seriously. Overall, it's a very delightful and enchanting piece of work.

J'ai vu ce film dans les années 70 et je dois dire que pour moi c'est un classique des meilleurs films du genre. Drôle et en même temps impressionnant par l'atmosphère qui si dégage. Un film à voir absolument. Le DVD surprenant en plusieurs langues très intéressant. Très heureux de l'avoir dans ma collection.

... when u compare it with Rosemary`s Baby, Repulsion and Frantic. But it DOES have its moments... What really saves this film is the music by Komeda, choreography by Norwegian Tutte Lemkow, the scenary, the make-up, the off-key characters, Sharon Tate and the costumes... Too often u find yourself wondering what-the-heck this is all about and why doesn`t Polanski move a bit faster into the action??? Still; it`s watchable and I`m glad that so many have found it to their hearts:-)

Late one night many years ago I had the pleasure of watching the great Roman Polanski vampire film. Now, many years later, I have added the complete and uncut edition to my collection.

This tongue-in-cheek begins with Professor Abronsius and his assistant (Polanski) arriving in Transylvania. The professor, who has one of the silliest mustaches of all time, is researching the legends of vampires. He is convinced that they really exist and that he can eliminate them. Shortly after their arrival it becomes apparent that there are indeed strange creatures about. All of the evidence convinces the professor that his suspicions are correct.

When the inn they are staying in is hit by a vampire the two journey to a bleak castle. There they encounter the local lord, who is a vampire. The lord and the professor hit it off quite well as both are men (ahem) of learning. During the day the professor and his assistant search for the vampires tomb. They find it but are unable to dispatch the creatures and wind up losing all of their tools in the process. Then night falls.

With the fall of night the two become targets and must avoid their vampiric hosts. then they make a startling discovery. There are more vampires in the castle than just the lord and his son. There is a graveyard filled with generations of bloodsuckers. As the vampires hold an annual ball at which they will feast on a number of locals, the professor and his protégée manage to make off with one of the victims and successfully flee into the night pursued by a hunchback sledding in a coffin.

The film then ends with a very dark note. The woman they have saved makes the complete transition to vampire while they are fleeing and she bites the young assistant. It is in this way that the bumbling Professor Abronsius enabled vampirism to spread out of Transylvania into the rest of the world.

This edition restores the twenty minutes that were cut out when the film was first released in America. This is an unusual film in that much is communicated through action. The dialogue is rather sparse throughout. But with the almost exaggerated actions of a silent film combined with a haunting score result in a richer movie than had it been full of dialogue. The special effects, what few there are, are quite effective and possibly more effective than current effects. In one scene the vampire killers and the woman they are trying to rescue are leading a dance at the ball. The procession advances towards a mirror and only the three are reflected although dozens are in direct line. Spectacular. The rest of the film uses small dashes of comedy to season an otherwise dark story. This is a true classic among vampire films. If you have not seen it you should.

Laugh yourself to death when you're not crawling under the couch out of fear ... . The movie, a real vampire film complete with more than enough horror, is also a spoof on vampire films. Several scenes come to mind (from long ago!). First, the beautiful tavern girl bathing as a new vampire, the recently bitten taven owner, bursts through the window. She flashes a crucifix before his eyes and his head darts to the side....and then he faces her, "Wrong religion, my dear!" Then, the old vampire researcher and his assistant (Polanski) enter 'the castle' and meet the vampire. Researcher and vampire quote their academic sources competitively to each other, the one trying to outdo the other.

I gave the film 4 stars instead of 5 because I'm one of those with a tendency to crawl under the couch .... . The scene with Polanski and the professor crawling around on the roof of the castle is too unforgetable.

Polanski did a superb job of spoofing Dracula/vampire hunting movies in TFVK. I actually prefer this vampire movie to ones that feature blood and gore. TFVK is one of my favorite vampire flicks; i put it right up there with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA and DRACULA 1979 (featuring Frank Langella).Polanksi plays the bumbling assistant of a dotty old vampire killer. While they contemplate the best way to take down the local vampire, they encounter Sarah, played by Sharon Tate, the innkeeper's beautiful daughter. Polanski promptly falls in love with her; little does he know she's one of the undead!Like many other people, I am drawn to this story because of Sharon Tate and the tragic end her own story would come to a handful of years after this film was released...

I started getting interested by vampires with this movie. I saw it for the first time at age 8 in 1982. It made me laugh a lot, and the overall texture of the set, lighting, music, cast and script, creates tension, even though the movie is meant to be funny. My parents presented it to me as a comedy, but when they first saw it, back in 67, my mother got scared! Let's just say that she doesn't know much about vampires...