Vampire Circus (1972)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1971
Running Times: 84m (USA)/87m (UK)
Length: 7,955 ft
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: Rankcolor
Ratio:
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: Robert Young

PRODUCTION
Copyright: © MCMLXXI Hammer Film Productions Limited
Production Company: The Rank Organization presents a Hammer production
Produced by: Wilbur Stark
Production Manager: Tom Sachs
Production Supervisor: Roy Skeggs

SCRIPT
Screenplay by: Judson Kinberg
Story: George Baxt, Wilbur Stark (both uncredited)

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Derek Whitehurst
Continuity: June Randall

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Moray Grant
Camera Operator: Walter Byatt

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Peter Musgrave
Colour by Rank Film Processing

MUSIC
Music Composed by: David Whitaker
Musical Supervisor: Philip Martell

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Claude Hitchcock
Sound Editor: Roy Hyde
Dubbing Mixer: Ken Barker
Westrex Recording System

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Wardrobe Supervisor: Brian Owen-Smith
Make-up: Jill Carpenter
Hairdressing: Ann McFadyen

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Les Bowie

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Scott MacGregor
Assistant Art Director: Don Picton
Construction Manager: Arthur Banks

OTHER CREW
Animal Adviser: Mary Chipperfield

LOCATIONS
Studio: Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

CASTING
Casting Director: James Liggat

CAST

Adrienne Corri (gypsy woman)
Thorley Walters (Burgermeister)
John Moulder-Brown (Anton Kersh)

and
Anthony Corlan (Emil)

starring
Laurence Payne (Professor Mueller)
Lynne Frederick (Dora Mueller)
Richard Owens (Dr Kersh)
Domini Blythe (Anna Mueller)

and
Elizabeth Seal (Gerta Hauser)

also starring
Robin Hunter (Hauser)
Robert Tayman (Count Mitterhaus)
Mary Wimbush (Elvira)
Robin Sachs (Heinrich)
Barnaby Shaw (Gustav)
Skip Martin (Michael)
John Bown (Schilt)
Christina Paul (Rosa)
Lalla Ward (Helga)
Roderick Shaw (Jon Hauser)

with
Dave Prowse (strongman)
Bradforts-Amaros (by courtesy of Billy Smart's Circus)

and introducing
Milovan and Serena (The Webers)

Jane Derby (Jenny)
Sibylla Kay (Mrs Schilt)
Dorothy Frere (Granma Schilt)
Sean Hewitt (1st soldier)
Giles Phibbs (Sexton)
Jason James (foreman)
Arnold Locke (old villager)

UNCREDITED CAST

Anna Bentinck, Nina Francis, Drina Pavlovic, Jenny Twigge (schoolgirls)

PLOT SUMMARY

In 19th century Schettel, the townspeople endure the depravations of the undead Count Mitterhouse who, from the safety of his castle, murders the town's children and seduces the wives. Eventually, the terrified people, led by Professor Mueller rise up and destroy Mitterhouse - but before he dies, he swears vengeance on the town and its children. The mob, driven to a frenzy, flog Mitterhouse's mortal lover, Anna who escapes to haul her lover's body into a deep crypt before the enraged townspeople dynamite the castle. Fifteen years later, Mitterhouse is little more than a distant bad memory and Schettel has other problems to contend with - plague has arrived in the town, ominously carried by bats. A strictly enforced blockade encircles the town, allowing no one to enter, armed guards gunning down anyone who tries to escape. Yet somehow, The Circus of Night manages to find its way in, led by a gypsy woman who assures the villagers that the circus is here to bring some relief to their embattled lives...

Vampire Circus is a complex and densely layered film in ways that few Hammer production had ever been before. Crammed full of remarkable set pieces, it has a strange, fairy-tale ambience somewhat compromised by Michael Carreras' decision to pull the plug on production before director Young had all the footage he needed, leaving to a rushed climax. But the film has so much in its favour - excellent set design, an unusual story, some of the most shocking violence in Hammer film - that it's still immensely watchable. It's inconceivable that Vampire Circus would be made today, with its unapologetic depiction of child abuse and murder. Indeed the film vanished from TV schedules and video in the UK following the Jamie Bulger murder trial in in the early 90s.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Rank Film Distributors Limited

USA
Theatrical Distributor: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation

Australia
Rating: R

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: PG

1971
March
29: UK - the draft treatment for the film is bought from George Baxt.

May
24: UK - the draft treatment is delivered to James Carreras who is initially concerned about the amount of violence.

July
25: UK - former Bond girl Nadja Regin, now a script reader for Hammer, sends a memo to teh board suggesting some additions to the script, but Carreras is still worried about its excessive brutality.

August
8: UK - Anton Rodgers, originally cast as Mueller, is taken ill and is replaced by Laurence Payne.
9: UK - principal photography begins

September
21: UK - principal photography ends

1972
January
3: UK - rated X by the BBFC (with cuts, for theatrical release)

April
30: UK - theatrical release

October
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

November
10: Sweden - theatrical release

1978
June
26: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1985
April
19: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1987
October
14: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1997
December
30: UK - television broadcast (on Channel Four)

Human fangs ripping throats - no sawdust can soak up the torrent of blood!

The greatest blood-show on earth! The Carnival comes to town! (USA video sleeve)

Circus der Vampire - German title
Cirque des vampires, Le - French title
Regina dei vampiri, La - Italian title
Vampyrernas cirkus - Swedish title
Vampyyrit iskevät - Finnish title

PERIODICALS

CinemaTV Today no.9979 (6 May 1972) p.24 (UK)
review

Dark Terrors no.6 (March - June 1993) pp.36-38 (UK)
illustrated credits, article

Filmfacts vol.15 no.20 (1972) pp.481-482 (USA)
reprinted reviews

Hollywood Reporter vol.223 no.21 (12 October 1972) p.4 (USA)
review

The House That Hammer Built no.8 (April 1998) pp.425-428 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Kine Weekly no.3331 (14 August 1971) p.9
credits

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.39 no.461 (June 1972) p.124 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Today's Cinema no.9934 (24 August 1971) p.4 (UK)
credits

BOOKS

English Gothic pp.189-191
illustrated credits, review (by Jonathan Rigby)

The Hammer Story p.154
illustrated article, review (by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes)

Ten Years of Terror pp.123-124
illustrated credits, review (by Tim Greaves)

vampires, circuses

Last Updated: 28 March, 2009