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Roman Polanski, Jack MacGowran, Alfie Bass, Jessie Robbins, Sharon Tate ... see more see more... , Iain Quarrier , Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne , Terry Downes , Fiona Lewis , Ronald Lacey , Sydney Bromley , Otto Diamant , Matthew Walters , Andrea Malandrinos , Jessie Robins , Ferdy Mayne , Jack Mac Gowran

A pair of bumbling vampire-hunters attempts to destroy an undead nobleman and his cronies and rescue a buxom maiden in actor/director Roman Polanski's playful update of the venerable vampire genre. Ba... read more read more...t expert and vampire obsessive Professor Abronsius (Jack MacGowran) barely survives his journey through the Alps into snowy Slovenia to continue his oft-maligned research into the undead. Thawed out by his hapless assistant, Alfred (Polanski), and the frisky local innkeeper, Shagal (Alfie Bass), Abronsius quickly notices the overabundance of raw garlic as a decorating motif in the inn and its environs. Too ineffectual to save Shagal from having his blood sucked, the professor and Alfred miss the boat again when the mysterious Count Von Krolock (Ferdinand Mayne) kidnaps Shagal's built, beautiful daughter, Sarah (Sharon Tate). The itinerant vampire hunters must travel through the icy wilderness to Von Krolock's abode and evade his manservant and his effete son Herbert (Iain Quarrier) before Sarah joins the ranks of the ghouls. They soon learn, however, that the luxury-starved lass actually enjoys her captors' lavish attentions. The action climaxes during a costume ball attended by a phalanx of blood-suckers, although the laughs and surprises continue until the very end. Sixteen minutes of unauthorized cuts have been restored in some video editions of The Fearless Vampire Hunters, although the animated credits sequence that replaced them is also retained. The film marks the feature debut of Tate, who replaced Polanski's original choice, Jill St. John, on the advice of producer Martin Ransohoff. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Flixster Users

76% liked it

11,056 ratings

Critics

66% liked it

29 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Release Date: November 13, 1967

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DVD Release Date: October 5, 2004

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Stats: 697 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (697)

  • ajv2688
    December 9, 2010
    ajv2688
    Polanski's vampire comedy is hilarious and cute. Polanski plays the sidekick in the movie, and he's a really good actor too. I really liked this movie, he has such a cool style and the story and characters are so funny. If you love vampire movies I highly recommend this one.
  • ythelastman89
    January 1, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I really don't understand why Roman Polanski ever decided to make a vampire movie in this fashion. You'd think that with all of his mastery in suspense, he would produce a truly terrifying film. However, the result is little more than cheap physical comedy and corny dialogue. I w... read moreould say that I blame that more on the writing, but it's not excusable from such an amazing director. Truly my least favorite Polanski film.
  • newvogueravyn
    January 11, 2008
    newvogueravyn
    The comedy here seems to be more farce than humour (personally I didn't find it funny) but you can see which staples of the vampire film has been subverted or used for farce, especially if you've seen a lot of old horror films. The way it is shot also contributes to this.
  • kenstachnik
    December 11, 2007
    kenstachnik
    Imagine a Hammer Horror version of Scooby Doo written & Directed by Roman Polanski

    Did I mention Sharon Tate?

    Yaozaa!
  • pier007
    October 23, 2007
    pier007
    slap-stick comedy is not Polanski's forte but he manages to combine a sultry dark mood, a witty mise-en-scène, great performances and an insanely good soundtrack. Nostalgia and affection is what I feel for this film and for the gorgeous Sharon Tate, before her tragic fate, rest i... read moren peace.
  • garyX
    June 5, 2007
    garyX
    Uneven vampire comedy from Roman Polanski that has some great moments, but can also drag horribly in between. It's probably the first attempt at the deconstruction of the whole vampire legend that I can think of, and as such has a certain curiosity value. The progenitor every vam... read morepire comedy since, from Mr Vampire to Buffy.
  • guttersnipe28
    November 23, 2006
    guttersnipe28
    A much lesser effort from ne of my favourite directors. Polanski leaves his normal paranoia and social anxiety at the door, dealing with horror in a campy, comedic sense, perhaps most telling by his exploration of the supernatural, compared to his usual absurdity-in-reality ouvre... read more. The end result is sporadically amusing, documenting a bumbling pair of vampire hunters and their various scrapes. The majority of the film is largely forgettable, mostly due to the comedy being childishly slapstick, and the real laughs have very long set-ups. Roman fills this time with gratuitous shots of Tate's chest in order to divert the audience's attention. A decent laugh comes from their attempts to thwart a Jewish vampire with a crucifix, but there really is precious little in this film. And to think his masterwork was to arrive only a year later....
  • fb100001266995067
    March 28, 2012
    fb100001266995067
    First off Polanski is my favorite director yes three movies in my top 10 but this would not even come close to one of his great works. . I heard some critics say it's the perfect mix of comedy and horror, but really it's not either one if you want a vampire movie that has that pe... read morerfect mix watch the original fright night. Now it wasn't completely dull yes I did laugh a lot at the beginning, but then It just went down. mainly because since you didn't care about the characters at all it was very hard to get into the story. This is definitely my least favorite Polanski film
  • threefolddado
    March 11, 2009
    threefolddado
    Yes, its a comedy horror film, but the humor is appropriately dark. Polanski manages to simultaneously poke fun at the genre and add some dimensions to it.
  • KLFilmmaker
    August 24, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    Nice sets, but it crawls along at a snail's pace. Cult classic.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
October 19, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Ferdy Mayne is the menacing Dracula, and Sharon Tate, lady in question, looks particularly nice in her bath. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
October 19, 2009
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The film amiably runs through all the standbys associated with vampire movies, putting a personal and goofy spin on most of them. Full Review

Roger Ebert
June 18, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Nobody laughed. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

He was evidently only trying to make fun of horror films, forgetting that horror films, played straight, are now more often funny -- unconsciously to -- than horrible. Full Review

October 19, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Shot in the Italian Alps, the cinematography is striking. Full Review

Kim Newman
October 19, 2009
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Funny and scary, this is vintage Polanski. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
April 9, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Infectiously silly vampire farce that's a lot more elegant than it had to be. Full Review

Tom Milne
January 26, 2006
Tom Milne, Time Out

Messy vampire spoof-cum-homage to Hammer, which doesn't really come off on either count. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 14, 2005
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Has its few garlicky moments of delight. Full Review

Michael A. Smith
April 15, 2005
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review

Early Polanski is a treat.

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    • Shagal: [a young woman tries to fend off Shagail, a Jewish Vampire, with a cross] Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire.
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The Fearless Vampire Killers Trivia

  • Vampire hunter Prof. Ambronsius & his assistant Roman Polanski travel to Transylvania to destroy vampires & find beautiful vampire Sharon Tate?  Answer »
  • T/F: Dance of the Vampires is also known (in the USA) as: The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are In My Neck (1967) ?  Answer »
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