This under-seen - and quite frankly weird - little offering from acclaimed filmmaker Roman Polanski, made the year before his horror classic Rosemary's Baby, somehow manages to be both incredibly fluffy and incredibly dark at the same time, which - at the very least - cements it as a true original of the vampire movie canon. Starring Jack McGowan and - would you believe it? - Roman Polanski himself, The Fearless Vampire Killers mostly plays out as a rowdy comedy, but the rather epic production design enhances the mood to such an extent that both gothic and horror elements seep through. Essentially, though, the film is one giant farce, as Professor Abronsius (McGowan) and his apprentice, Alfred (Polanski), set out to hunt vampires in a castle in Transylvania. The film is also notable because it stars Polanski's late wife, Sharon Tate, who was killed in the Charles Manson murders two years later when his followers invaded Polanski's home. As the kidnapped beauty who sets the plot in motion, she is simply stunning to behold.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
