The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

66% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(11,088 ratings)

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. Bat expert and vampire obsessive Professor Abronsius (Jack MacGowran) barely survives his journey… More 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. Bat 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

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Genres: Horror, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 13, 1967 Wide
On DVD: Oct 5, 2004

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Ferdy Mayne is the menacing Dracula, and Sharon Tate, lady in question, looks particularly nice in her bath.
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.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Nobody laughed.
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.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Shot in the Italian Alps, the cinematography is striking.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Funny and scary, this is vintage Polanski.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Infectiously silly vampire farce that's a lot more elegant than it had to be.
Tom Milne, Time Out
Messy vampire spoof-cum-homage to Hammer, which doesn't really come off on either count.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Has its few garlicky moments of delight.
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Early Polanski is a treat.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
An elaborate letdown.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Polanski rarely indulged in his taste for overwrought slapstick, but here it is.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Really not as bad as the title; it IS Polanski

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

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… More
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.
Conner R

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… More
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 would 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.
Kylie B

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.
Ken S

Imagine a Hammer Horror version of Scooby Doo written & Directed by Roman Polanski Did I mention Sharon Tate? Yaozaa!
Pierluigi P

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… More
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 in peace.
xGary X

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… More
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 vampire comedy since, from Mr Vampire to Buffy.
Antony S

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. The… More
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. 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....
Daniel D

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… More
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 perfect 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
Anthony V

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.
Wu C

Nice sets, but it crawls along at a snail's pace. Cult classic.