Dance of the Vampires (1967)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach (story) &
Roman Polanski (story)

Release Date:

June 1967 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Who says Vampires are no laughing matter?

Plot:

A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Vampire | Castle | Inn | Transylvania

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jack MacGowran	...	Professor Abronsius
Roman Polanski	...	Alfred, Abronsius' Assistant
Alfie Bass	...	Shagal, the Inn-Keeper
Jessie Robins	...	Rebecca Shagal
Sharon Tate	...	Sarah Shagal
Ferdy Mayne	...	Count von Krolock
Iain Quarrier	...	Herbert von Krolock
Terry Downes	...	Koukol, the Servant
Fiona Lewis	...	Magda, the Maid
Ronald Lacey	...	Village Idiot
Sydney Bromley	...	Sleigh Driver
Andreas Malandrinos	...	Woodcutter
Otto Diamant	...	Woodcutter
Matthew Walters	...	Woodcutter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roy Evans	...	Vampire at ball (uncredited)

Directed by
Roman Polanski

Writing credits
Gérard Brach		(story and screenplay) &
Roman Polanski		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Gene Gutowski	....	producer
Martin Ransohoff	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Krzysztof Komeda		(as Christopher Komeda)

Cinematography by
Douglas Slocombe

Film Editing by
Alastair McIntyre

Production Design by
Wilfred Shingleton		(as Wilfrid Shingleton)

Art Direction by
Fred Carter

Costume Design by
Sophie Devine

Makeup Department
Biddy Chrystal	....	hair stylist
Tom Smith	....	makeup artist

Production Management
David W. Orton	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roy Stevens	....	assistant director

Art Department
Clément Hurel	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lionel Selwyn	....	sound editor
Len Shilton	....	dubbing mixer
George Stephenson	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Doug Ferris	....	matte supervisor (uncredited)
Peter Melrose	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Hans Mollinger	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator
Dennis Fraser	....	grip (uncredited)

Other crew
André François	....	title designer
Tutte Lemkow	....	choreographer
Gillian Sutro	....	translator
John Sutro	....	translator
Dr. Ludwig Von Krankheit	....	fangs
Helen Whitson	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Cadre Films
• Filmways Pictures

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1968) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Filmipaja (1968) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (????) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinemagia (Brazil) (DVD)
• Esselte Video (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1986) (UK) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1991) (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2009) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

The Fearless Vampire Killers (USA)
The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (USA) (subtitle)
The Vampire Killers (USA) (working title)
Vampire Ball (Europe) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Brazil:Livre | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1968) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 (w) (f) (re-rating) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Belluno, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Cadre Films

Trivia:

For the ballroom scene (when the music stops and only three people are visible in a huge mirror despite of a few dozen vampires in the room) Polanski had the room completely copied behind a fake mirror with three doubles acting as the human protagonists.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the main at the inn is scrubbing the floor, she is wearing boots; when the camera angle changes, she's suddenly barefoot.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Narrator: That night, fleeing from Transylvania, Professor Abronsius never guessed he was carrying away with him the very evil he had wished to destroy. Thanks to him, this evil would at last be able to spread across the world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

One of the all-time great horror spoofs

When I first saw this film on TV in the early 70s, I thought it was so cheesy I gave it very little attention. Then in the early 90s it was released on laserdisc in a letterboxed version and I bought it on a lark. After I viewed in the first time I still didn't think much of it and thought maybe I wasted my money. But then, as the years passed, I would look at it every so often and now I love the film. It is an acquired taste. You first have to love vampire films -- the old-fashioned, Gothic kind. Next, you need to appreciate Polanski's style and his understated approach. It's also best to watch this film late at night with the lights off, and especially with a snow storm outside. Give it a chance and this film will creep up on you. Hopefully it will come to DVD soon.