Dance of the Vampires

Messy vampire spoof-cum-homage to Hammer, which doesn't really come off on either count. On the other hand, no film can be all bad which has a screen credit reading 'Fangs by Dr Ludwig von Krankheit'; and Polanski does pull out some gems, like the very Jewish monster menaced with a crucifix who cheerfully gloats, 'You got the wrong vampire, girl!' Other pluses include very attractive sets and Douglas Slocombe's camerawork, Krzysztof Komeda's bat-winged musical score, and the marvellous sequence of the great vampire ball, in which the guests rise from their graves to embark on a stately minuet that ends in front of a vast mirror reflecting only the three human interlopers. With all its faults, an engaging oddity.