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| DIRECTED BY |
| Roman Polanski |
| STARRING |
| Roman Polanski |
| Jack MacGowran |
| Sharon Tate |
| Ferdy Mayne |
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Who says vampires are no laughing matter? Certainly not Roman Polanski, that�s for sure. Just one year before achieving recognition for his paranoiac puzzler, �Rosemary�s Baby,� Polanski co-wrote, directed, and starred in this lesser known spoof of the seemingly infinite amount of over-the-top horror films that commonly take themselves just a little too seriously.
As the film opens, we see the half-frozen �fearless vampire killers� of the title sleigh-riding into a remote Transylvanian hamlet where they intend on seeking out and slaying as many bloodsucking creatures as they can. Of course, they fact that they haven�t slain any beforehand does not discourage them. The almost cartoon-like camera angles, eccentric scenery and fast motion usage quickly assures us that we�re in for a playfully satiric horror caper.
The not-so-bright Professor Abronsius and his reluctant assistant, Alfred, finally take up lodging at an inn. After much derision among the vampire-fearing village folk, Alfred and Abronsius find themselves haplessly chasing after an elusive maiden that has been captured by the dreaded vampire, Count Von Krolock. Of course, Polanski throws in enough physical comedy and farcical characters along the way to keep up a comedic pace.
The film�s cinematography is at times mesmerizing, smoothly capturing the gothic atmosphere while the production design of Count Krolock�s castle is completely convincing. It�s probably Polanski�s most under-rated film - an enjoyable gem with its moments of brilliancy.
