Vampire Circus- Cult Film Review

June 3, 2024

My love for old horror films started in my formative teen years. The BBC would show cult horror films late on Friday and Saturday nights in the early to mid-90s and, when we got Sky, late 90s/ early 2000s Bravo Channel. Some were the more salacious films of 60s and 70s European cinema, often in the horror genre but not always- some were experimental pieces which had a deeply ethereal feel and long moments of quiet where the gorgeous scenery and silence would wash over you. It was here I first saw Circus of Horrors, Vampiros Lesbos, The Witchfinder General and many, many more.

Whilst flicking through the ITVX app, I saw the image for Vampire Circus. I vaguely remembered the film so decided to revisit it for the first time in 30 or so years.

Vampire Circus was produced in 1971 which was the start of the period of decline for Hammer. Hammer had risen to prominence in the two decades before with its gothic top tier b-movie films which were rich in detail and storytelling. However, by the 70s the audience’s tastes were changing and the drop in production quality led to a glut of poorer Hammer movies that seemed to be poorer imitations of what had come before. Luckily, Vampire Circus is not one of these films as it still stands as a great film- maybe one of the last great Hammer films before its decline. Taking inspiration from post-modern European films, it is an erotic dreamlike venture with lashings of gore thrown in for good measure.

The film is about a small town in a forest which is beholden to the evil Count Mitterhaus (played in bohemian Byronesque fashion by Robert Tayman). He feasts on the blood of children and preys on the beautiful women within this community. When the people rise up and kill him he curses them, saying that they and their children, and their children’s children etc will die. Cue the title card and the beginnings of an intriguing story.

We fast forward 15 years and see that the village is in decline as the neighbouring villages know about the curse and do not want the isolated village to spread the curse further. However, a travelling circus troupe, The Circus of Night, visits the village and performs for the people whilst secretly exacting revenge by killing the children of the families and dripping their blood onto the corpse of their cousin Count Mittterhaus. Will the village discover what is happening or will all the children of the village die and the Count resurrect?

I throughly enjoyed the film. Even though any film with child death is challenging to watch the overall plot of the story and the sheer sense of place in this Germanic town is well realised. Sure, there are bare bodies aplenty and lots of gore but the story at its heart of a class battle between the aristocratic class against the poorer and middle classes is still a relevant one even today. This film is not for the faint of heart but is well worth your time.

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The Blood on Satan's Claw- Cult Film Review

October 3, 2023

For this dark season, I thought I'd watch the Unholy Trinity of British folk horror; The Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and The Wicker Man.

I saw Witchfinder General on Bravo back in the late 90s/ early 00s I believe. I watched it again recently (read my review here) and still found it a powerfully violent film with something important to say about the violence wrought against women in the name of faith and power. However, I had never seen Blood on Satan's Claw so I decided to watch it on a cold, rainy day.

It is a typical English folk horror tale: a farmer finds the remains of a mysterious creature whilst tilling the soil. After the discovery, much evil is unleashed on the village. The locals start to act strangely and the youth are particularly susceptible to the powers of darkness.

The typical genre elements are all present and correct: rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of nature. The old trope of an outsider who comes into the community but doesn't understand the old ways is present, in this case the judge does not believe in witchcraft and superstition, leaves the village to carry out his duties elsewhere leaving the innocent locals to fend for themselves against the evil infected peers.

Director Piers Haggard has a wonderful eye for period detail and the cinematography of the English countryside is beautifully represented. The title music by Marc Wilkinson is playfully haunting, it sounds olde English but has a sinister woodwind string wending it's way through.

Even after nearly 50 years, the film is still a indictment about the power of suggestion, mob rule and religious paranoia. Even though it is set several hundred years ago, the collective ideology and influence of a few to change the society they exist seems prescient. The small town, local people mentality shows how quickly people will turn against people they consider outsiders.

The cast overall are great and the fact that it doesn't have a big name attached lends the whole affair a sense of mystery and uniquenessall its own.

*Linda Hayden (left) plays the malevolent and precocious Angel Blake extremely well.*

The actors and actresses all do a wonderful job but special mention must go to Linda Hayden, who plays malevolent Angel Blake, as she is only 17 at the time of filming yet seems to command a screen presence beyond her years. Patrick Wymark is effective as the judge who becomes the jury and executioner at the end of the film when he fights the Devil with a secret weapon. The scene is presented in slow motion and this gives the finale a nightmarish, surreal feel.

Overall, I can see why the film is held in such high regard and can see that it definitely earns it place amongst the Unholy Trinity.

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The Witchfinder General- Cult Film Review

October 2, 2023

My love for old horror films started in my formative teen years. The BBC would show cult horror films late on Friday and Saturday nights in the early to mid-90s and, when we got Sky, late 90s/ early 2000s Bravo Channel was a real boon. Some were the more salacious films of 60s and 70s European cinema, often in the horror genre but not always- some were experimental pieces which had a deeply ethereal feel and long moments of quiet where the gorgeous scenery and silence would wash over you. It was here I first saw Circus of Horrors, Vampiros Lesbos, Twins of Evil and many, many more.

For this dark season, I thought I'd watch the unholy trinity of British folk horror; The Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and The Wicker Man. No, not the Nic Cage remake. Now, say it after me…

I saw Witchfinder General on Bravo back in the late 90s/ early 00s I believe. I hadn't seen it since then but remember the violence being quite disturbing at the time.

It starts off with a quiet countryside scene with lush green grass and lolling sheep. It quickly cuts to a hangman setting up a gallows on a hill whilst a mob drags an old lady up to it. Whilst the priest recites the last rites the noose is put around the old lady and the stool is kicked away from underfoot, she swings and it smash cuts to Vincent Price as Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, watching from astride his white horse. For a cold open, this scene is brutal and it doesn't stop there. The statement of intent has been set and it's not backing down.

The smashcut of Vincent Price is brilliant and the beginning is brutal.

The music by Paul Ferris kicks in to offer a brief moment to catch your breath as the credits roll. When the narrator sets the scene about 1665 and the English Civil War, we see that the rule of law is broken and cruelly inequal- dispensed without due process.

When a Roundhead soldier, Richard, is given leave after saving the life of his captain, he goes to see his lady love, Sarah. Her uncle gives him permission to marry his niece but wants him to take her away as the threat of being accused of witchcraft hangs over the area. The soldier returns to his regiment but, unfortunately, the following day the Witchfinder General comes to town and falsely accused the priest. He makes advances against the niece and, in exchange for a night with her, promises to free the priest. When Hopkins goes to a nearby town, his second in charge, John Stern, assaults the niece too. The priest is then dunked in the water and hanged for witchcraft as the niece's sway is lost.

The soldier returns to his love and promises to avenge the priest's death and the loss of her innocence by killing the witchfinders. What follows is a cat and mouse chase as the soldier looks to catch up to the witchfinders whilst they continue to carry out their dreaded executions.

The film is brutal in it's portrayal of violence done against the innocent and voiceless but the threat of cynical Puritanism and greed that underline this dark tale, still persist in today's world. The cinematography by John Coquillon is stunning shot as the beautiful greens of the beginning contrast against the autumnal colours when Hopkins comes to town and brings his brand of justice. The costumes are on point and whilst you can tell that this isn't an expensive production, the economy of design lends it a charming period look.

Even after nearly 50 years, the depravity shown is still shocking but the tale of systemic violence done against women whilst the community watches is still relevant and prescient even of the rise of the far right and populism where hardwon womens' rights and liberties are being rolled back for a similar puritanical zealousness, underpinned by greed and power. Director Michael Reeves, who died tragically young, has created a film that has stood the test of time and is prescient.

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review