Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Vampire Circus (1971)
Director: Robert Young
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
The circus of the title is an evocative 19th century troupe which weaves magic spells around a naive woodland village in Serbia. For a while, Young (here making his first feature) manages to use this basic premise to establish a delicate fairytale atmosphere, with a genuine sense of strangeness as the circus people gradually take over the imaginative life of the community (isolated from the rest of the world by plague), changing back and forth into animals nightly before their eyes; and he is greatly aided by some unusually restrained performances (from the girls in particular). But sadly the whole fragile effect eventually gives way to formula, and as clichés mount, the fashionably explicit sexuality of the vampires jars badly against the rest of the film. Lines like 'One lust feeds another' can't disguise the awkwardness of the transition from vampirism to sex.Author: DP
Cast & crew
Director: Robert Young
Producer: Wilbur Stark
Cast: Adrienne Corri, Laurence Payne, Thorley Walters, John Moulder Brown, Lynne Frederick, Elizabeth Seal full cast
Genre(s): Horror
Duration: 87 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now