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Vampire Circus

Vampire Circus

Horror · 1972

After a spate of murders, the villagers of Schtettel kill the depraved perpetrator, Count Mitterhouse. Fifteen years later the Circus of Nights appeared in the plague-ridden village and its performers include Mitterhouse's mistress, children and cousins. They have come to Schtettel to fulfil the Count's last words, an evil, vicious curse of death and destruction on those who participated in his impaling. The children of Schtettel become the targets for a brutal and devastating revenge as the Vampire Circus rehearses for its most deadly performance.

Movie details

Vampire Circus

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

1972 Horror 1h 27m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

After a spate of murders, the villagers of Schtettel kill the depraved perpetrator, Count Mitterhouse. Fifteen years later the Circus of Nights appeared in the plague-ridden village and its performers include Mitterhouse's mistress, children and cousins. They have come to Schtettel to fulfil the Count's last words, an evil, vicious curse of death and destruction on those who participated in his impaling. The children of Schtettel become the targets for a brutal and devastating revenge as the Vampire Circus rehearses for its most deadly performance.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Vampire Circus?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Young

Written by

Judson Kinberg

Adrienne Corri

Adrienne Corri

Gypsy Woman

Thorley Walters

Thorley Walters

Burgermeister

Anthony Higgins

Anthony Higgins

Emil

John Moulder-Brown

John Moulder-Brown

Anton Kersh

Laurence Payne

Laurence Payne

Prof. Albert Mueller

Richard Owens

Richard Owens

Dr. Kersh

Lynne Frederick

Lynne Frederick

Dora Mueller

Court is in session

Put Vampire Circus on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.