In the beginning, the townspeople of a Serbian village gather to rid themselves of Count Mitterhaus, a truly vile vampire. Having seduced the wife of a respectable citizen, he has her bring him village children to prey upon (the implications are truly horrible). As he is staked, he curses the town. His concubine is banished, running the gauntlet on her way out.
Ten years later, the village is suffering an outbreak of plague, and the government has the town ringed with troops to make sure no one gets in or out, so the disease won't spread. The town doctor makes it out to gather medicine, while at the same time, a traveling circus arrives in town. Glad to have something to take their minds off their problems, the villagers don't realize that the head of the circus is the cousin of Count Mitterhaus.
The Good: Typical stalwart British performers (none very well-known, I'm sorry to say) give their best to bring this slightly koo-koo production to life. And honestly, the SFX guys went all out with what they had. Once the climax gets going, it does not slow down.
The Bad: Probably more as a result of the time when it was made than anything else, this film may give wise-ass viewers the impression that it was made on psychedelic drugs. It's a truly weird film.
The Ugly: The Tiger Woman dance probably doesn't come off as erotic as was intended, but Your Mileage May Vary. Also, this is one of the most violent Hammer Films, the opening and the climax being standouts.
Oh, I almost forgot. David Prowse, the man in the Darth Vader suit himself, plays the circus strongman.
For a long time, Vampire Circus was hard to come by outside of the UK. Now it's available to all:
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