The film is set "deep in the heart of Transylvania" and the story appears to take place sometime during the mid-19th century. Professor Abronsius, formerly of the University of Königsberg and his apprentice Alfred are on the hunt for vampires. Abronsius is old and withering and barely able to survive the cold ride through the wintry forests, while Alfred is bumbling and introverted. The two hunters come to a small village seemingly at the end of a long search for signs of vampires. The two stay at a local inn full of angst-ridden townspeople who perform strange rituals to fend off an unseen evil.
While staying at the inn, Alfred develops a fondness for Sarah, the overprotected daughter of the tavern keeper Yoine Shagal. Alfred witnesses Sarah being kidnapped by the local vampire lord Count von Krolock. Crazed with grief and armed only with a bunch of garlic, Shagal attempts to rescue her but does not get very far before he is captured, drained of his blood and vampirised. After Shagal rises and attacks Magda, the tavern's beautiful maidservant and the object of his lust when he was still human, Abronsius and Alfred follow his trail in the snow, which leads them to Krolock's ominous castle in the snow-blanketed hills nearby. They break into the castle but are trapped by the Count's hunchbacked servant, Koukol. They are taken to see the Count, who affects an air of aristocratic dignity while questioning Abronsius about why he has come to the castle. They also encounter the Count's son, the foppish (and homosexual) Herbert. Meanwhile, Shagal, no longer caring about his daughter's fate, sets up his plan to turn Magda into his vampire bride. Read more on Wikipedia.
MPAA Rating: | NR |
Genre: | Comedy, Horror |
Country: | United Kingdom, United States |
Produced By: | Martin Ransohoff, Gene Gutowski |
Directed By: | Roman Polanski |
Written By: | Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski |
Cast: | Roy Evans, Jessie Robins, Ferdy Mayne, , Roman Polanski, Terry Downes, Sharon Tate, Sydney Bromley, Andreas Malandrinos, Jack MacGowran, Alfie Bass, Iain Quarrier, Vladek Sheybal, Fiona Lewis, Ronald Lacey, Otto Diamant |
In Theaters: | Nov 17, 1967 |
Runtime: | 1 hour 48 minutes |
Production: | Cadre Films, Filmways Pictures |
Available On: | Amazon, Itunes, Vudu |