 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. This is for the 1972 film Vampire Circus And it's a hammer film and when I watched it and I'm doing this review It's available for streaming on shutter, so I would recommend that now I will admit that this I don't know this might be my very first hammer film I've ever seen I know a lot of people are probably hearing that right now I'm being like what and you're a horror fan. That's kind of been one of my blind spots I've only kind of go gone back so far with horror films, and I've been dipping into the 70s But I need to go back much further some of my main blind spots that I really need to remedy are hammer films and universal horror films But I'm trust me. I'm gonna end up working on that. It takes time I'll get there so Vampire Circus this one. I'd seen the trailer for it It really caught my interest and it's a fun film. I I think it's very solid I'm kind of impressed with how it looked and how it was executed for being that early in the 70s But you know, I know that hammer has a Awesome reputation for what they were able to do back then really pumping out some good stuff So this one was directed by Robert Young Who had he's done a bunch of older films But the most important film that I want to point out which I actually don't like but it has like one Particularly good sequence in it and I know a lot of people like it's kind of like one of those bad films But people guilty pleasure the 2014 film ghost ship Robert Young directed this in 1972 and then in 2014 directed ghost ship. That's interesting Now this was actually Robert Young's first feature-length film and for that reason there was some confusion that happened between he and hammer I guess hammer didn't clearly Communicate to him or something, but he didn't know about how hammer kind of ran their production And that they ran a very tight production that was relatively quick so this film was actually supposed to only go six weeks for filming and everything and Young didn't know that so he was really taking his time with shots and trying to do as best he can Which I would say that shows in the film because it looks good from a technical standpoint for 1972 It looks really good good directing good camera work for the most part good acting I mean it looks great the practical effects look good for that time period Yeah, visually nice but Apparently one of the things he got caught up on was a scene where a tiger bites a fake human arm and they spent a lot Of time kind of working on that trying to set that up properly because the tiger wouldn't actually bite now They filled the fake arm with pork and the tiger wasn't going for it So after enough frustration they switched to beef and that's when they that solved the problem But you know setting up shots like that. He was taking too much time So once he crossed into his seventh week of filming Hammer stepped in and just shut the production down and said you're done This is how we run it hand us all the footage Then they took all the footage and they handed it off to an editor and said look make a movie out of this So it wasn't even really completed at least not from the perspective of Robert Young the director So two things one I would be interested to have seen what Robert Young's full vision was for this film That would have been really interesting, but two I'm actually impressed with the fact that the film comes together as well as it does and is Coherent and is as good as it is Knowing now that it wasn't even really finished So that's kind of impressive as well So I don't know if that speaks mainly to you know He just happened to shoot enough that it was good enough or it speaks to how the editor was able to do or a Combination of the two, but that's I mean, it's pretty cool It was written by Jude Jud, I'm sorry Judd Kinberg who did such scripts as reach for glory Siege of the Saxons east of Sudan and the sellout all order older films obviously And Let's get into The oh, so this film actually didn't do well Sorry for the pause in that this film actually didn't do that well when it came out But it actually has done much better as time's gone on and it's you know gained more of a viewership and Following and it's actually considered nowadays to be one of the more intelligent and stylish of the hammer films Which is very interesting and that and that's one of those things is that there's There's this interesting situation where there are plenty of films that when they come out They don't do that great and people are just like but then over time people look back on them And they're like oh, this was actually a really great film back then And then it gets you know revived in a way finds its audience over time So now the the actual stuff about the movie which spoilers. Yes spoilers because it's a very old film My first my first inkling with the way that the starts was oh a family in the woods This stuff never goes well, especially for older horror films. So I knew something was afoot I'm sure everyone who's watching knew that and they actually they don't waste a whole lot of time getting into the sexuality of the vampires because there's a Graphic for that time sex scene going on pretty immediately between the Count and Anna. I think her name was the one character's wife Yeah, there's plenty of nudity in this. There's a lot of sexuality to it Which you know, it makes sense it goes along with vampires Cuz vampires over time had been turned into these very sexual beings and having this ability to you know Charm people draw them in with their with their you know looks their glamour their charisma Whatever you want to call it But it was just a little bit not I wouldn't say shocking but it was a little bit Unexpected for me that I saw them get into the sex that heavily that early on in the film But I also know that you know hammer films do have a good amount of nudity and sex to them as I've been told So it appears that Anna was bringing victims to the Count in exchange for sex It's kind of what it seemed like and I kind of don't know like what degree to what degree it was that she was kind of being like charmed by him or You know mind controlled by him or was it just her actually wanting to be with him for some other reason I don't know. I mean, I would assume it was some sort of you know Supernatural persuasion that was at play here, but I thought that was interesting But it seems like the exchange literally is for sex at least that's how the setup seems This is a pretty action-packed and fun way to start the film and it really brings you right in I mean, they really wasted no time with the kid getting killed and the sex happening and then the villagers Storming the castle and fighting the count. There's a good fight scene with the count. He takes out a bunch of people I mean, he was really wrecking for a while until he finally gets you know stabbed through the back through the heart Which looked relatively effortless for for what it would have actually been. I thought that was kind of funny When the circus finally rolls into town you actually get this feeling that it's gonna be fun Like there's an air of fun that comes to it not within the story But from a viewer's perspective of this is a film that I'm watching like knowing it's a film not immersing yourself in the story necessarily like you know the funds about to start because It's a fun premise and circuses are fun and they go they definitely go down that road with the Performances that they end up showing a lot which they didn't need to show that many of the performances But I think it actually adds to the film some people could say it was kind of filler, but I actually love those portions of the film It's fun. They're quirky. They're kind of weird, but um, yeah, they're a good time You do get some immediate Suspicion that's kind of cast on the circus because of when they show up their attitudes are very brash They're very kind of like whatever then there's also the aspect of there was that roadblock and people like How did you get past that roadblock? Which gives you an idea that this is not a normal circus and then there's also the fact that they know There's an illness in the town yet. They're showing up to entertain So that's another thing to it where it just doesn't a lot of things that just don't make sense from a normal circus perspective and then also the title of the film obviously which is a fun title, but also kind of weird The scene with the guy getting shot at and then he stops and says that he's gonna turn around I think it's really funny when he was going to you know make a run at the roadblock and then they start shooting at him And he he's like yelling. He's like, okay. I'm turning around. I'm turning around. I thought that was funny. It seemed It was shot in a funny way So the town is cool with kids seeing this erotic dance Performance that was happening at the very first show that the circus did because literally like there are all these kids In the audience there and nobody seems to have a problem with this very sexual dance going on with the woman who was all Body painted up as a tiger and you could see her vagina even spread it at points and you could see her boobs obviously and it was just like It was just a weird thing that like everyone was just like mm-hmm. Yep, and that's the that's the entertainment and Yep, Billy over here totally fine for him. He's like five years old. He gets it. It's just weird You can feel the town's paranoia in this and I think that's something good about the way it was shot The way it was acted the way it was scripted is that they do a good job of kind of revisiting the paranoia going on Revisiting these townsfolk continually talking about what's really going on trying to guess There's even something thrown out about rabies at one point You know it's interesting because it gives you an idea that like they don't fully know what's going on But throughout the whole thing they also keep bringing up and it seems like it's just this kind of cloud that hangs over About the curse that the count had put on them, which by the way, I didn't know that You know vampires putting curses on people was a thing I'd always associated that with witches, but I don't have a problem with that in this film I don't I never have a problem with people introducing new things into the mythology of a creature like a vampire Unless it's stupid, but with the curse thing it's fine like it works It sets up the film and I don't think it's problematic. It was just it was just the first time I'd kind of seen something like that Especially from an older film because I thought I felt like back then they were really following a lot of the rules That had been set up so Um The burger meister Which what is that like I don't get what a burger meister is I just thought it was funny And when they first said it I thought they said booger meister like it literally sounded like booger meister That with the burger meister when he starts losing it in front of the mirrors of life I thought that was over the top. That's one of those moments where I was just like, okay They definitely shouldn't you know pulled this back a little bit I understand acting has only gotten better over time But it was a choice by the director to let that go on that long of him Just like ridiculously laughing And I guess maybe it was partially like something supernatural making him do that But it was it was a little much For having to use a fake panther during that one attack scene in the woods And it being in the 70s that attack scene actually was done pretty effectively The it was and it was a lot in the camera work Like you could tell at times like kind of quickly that the fake panther didn't look that good But they were able to move the camera enough and you know cut it together well enough And have enough gore to it that it actually ended up being effective And I was kind of impressed with how good it really looked given the parameters at that point Uh the shot of the boot buckles there are a few really awesome shots in this now The boot buckles in the woods when the woman's kind of like trying to hide When they're far away and out of focus and they look like cat eyes That's an awesome shot that looks really cool And then it comes into focus as it's moving forward and you see it's these boot buckles That was cool. That's a very awesome inspired shot and I love that The town is dealing with a lot the illness the roadblock and the circus And that further makes the audience member feel it like feel the paranoia feel the frustration Just feel all the terrible stuff the burden that the town itself is going through Um, there was a point where there were blood splot blood spots showing up Quickly on the count's body when he was still dead And some of the vampires were feeding around him now I understand that was supposed to be like he's you know gaining some of that blood somehow which is weird like I don't understand how like Other vampires feeding on people Would bring the count back to life like that actually doesn't make sense to me And I think that's stupid. That is one of those dumb things Um, so I don't like that all and then also to go along with that when those like blood Spots were showing up on the body that actually didn't look good and they could have just done without that overall so What the hell did the animals do when the the few townsfolk go around and like they shoot the monkey and they shoot the tiger and it's like Wouldn't they be going after The actual perpetrators of what they think is going on not the animals because obviously the animals didn't have anything to do with it Unless they were assuming that the animals were also people In disguise because of a meal being able to turn into a black panther I don't know But it just didn't make sense to me. I'm like, why are they killing the animals the animals didn't do anything They've been in cages the whole time, especially specifically the monkey and the tiger It's weird. Uh, I'm not understanding. Oh, I already talked about that how I don't understand about You know other vampires sucking blood doing anything for the count Uh, the strong man while he does have a little bit more of a role towards the end of the film He doesn't have a whole lot of a role He's kind of just there and I kind of wanted to see more from him because he was He could have been a more interesting character, but the fact that they just have him there for the muscle and Look imposing and not speak at all is um, I don't know underutilization because all the other characters had more to do For the most part. I just wanted to see more from the strong man Uh, although one of the scenes I loved with the strong man is when he gets shot eventually at the end And there's that giant hole that gets blown in his back And they show it quickly enough that it looks really good And it also looks shocking because this is a giant hole that gets blown in his back. I love that scene Um, a great line from this film that shows the level of danger with these vampires and how potentially unstoppable they are Is when it they the one says then tear it from her neck talking about having the um cross necklace on one of the women They were going after um, I thought that was a really good line the way it was delivered the way it was written and also just the implications like I was saying of That doesn't necessarily stop them They they can just get rid of these religious symbols that are supposed to keep them at bay So it ups the ante for the film I really dig the shot of a meal going up the stairs And as he's going up the stairs his legs turn into panther legs And then the panther finishes going up the stairs another one of those really cool really well done inspired shots Loved it. Love that one The giant cross impaling the female twin was a cool scene that I did not see coming Also the aspect of it that little twist of the fact that she gets it then the male twin Also ends up with this giant hole in his chest. That was cool as well. I really like that creative well done The crossbow string decapitation May be my favorite thing in the actual film because I didn't see it coming and it looked really cool And it's a great kill idea for a film like this Um, that was awesome. I mean very inventive dug it It's kind of a small thing a very small thing I'm sure a lot of people would say but I really like how long and Particularly pointy the fangs in this are You know, you you see different vampire films and they have different types of fangs That I think I feel like it's more popular that they're more shorter and chunkier type Vampire fangs, but this one especially with like the count They're very long and they're they get very slender at the end. They're almost like hypodermic needles which makes you I don't know but they just look more menacing that way, but they also look more sleek They're good. I dig it Another thing that you should notice is that decasting for the vampires for the most part They're all they all have relatively pointy facial features It was an aesthetic choice to kind of go with a sleekness a more ambiguous sexuality type Reline to it because even the men look a bit feminine And I think that speaks kind of like to to the um the charisma the the draw of vampires in general They have this oozing of sexuality and it's not just towards women. It can also be a little bit alluring to men as well So I thought that was interesting to note that their casting of it was all a bunch of you know more pointed features like that Uh this this film ends up speaking to the fears of doing something that leads to a lasting negative effect With your family, but also more to to society at large That's kind of a fear that people have that if they need to take action on something that are they doing the right thing Are they doing the right thing just for them at that time? And not long term or are they doing the right thing in general and it will pay off because in the beginning You see that the townsfolk are very concerned about what can happen with the count if they actually take action But then in the end they take action But then they suffer the consequences for that because the curse ends up happening And then that's this like I was saying before this cloud just over top of the entire town For a long time and that leads to a lot of hardship the illness the roadblock You know Literally they're stuck in their town at that point and then the circus rolls in of vampires and They're preyed upon so it creates this horrible situation And a lot of the townsfolk if you noticed in the beginning Well, not a lot but a decent amount We're willing to just walk away and just be like look the count will have us killed. You know, this isn't gonna end Well, we're just gonna go back to our lives, but they took action and in the end after everything is done Paid off they they took care of it Anyway, that's all I have to say about this film. I enjoyed it. I had a fun time. It's not perfect It's not the best whatever But out of five stars with half stars in play. I'm gonna give it a very solid three and a half star rating I dig it. I would recommend it to people I am gonna recommend it to some people actually and it gets me even more jazz to check out more hammer films so Look for that on my channel not necessarily in the super near future, but I'll get to it. It'll happen. Trust me. But anyway, thanks for checking this out. Put some comments down there Let's talk about this film and other hammer films Actually, it'd be great if you could give me recommendations for particular hammer films that you think I would like Or that you would like to see me review Whether it's because they're really good or they're particular but particularly bad I'm fine with either But do me a quick favor hit that subscribe button Because that's your best way to repay me if you like any videos that I do on this channel I'm just doing this for free. So whenever I see someone subscribe I feel a great amount of gratitude. It really does mean a lot to me So I would appreciate that but also hit the notification bell if you're gonna do that And that way it'll let you know whenever I'm putting up a new review video or doing a live stream or anything like that But regardless, thanks for taking your time to watch this and until next time keep it brutal