The Fearless Vampire Killers

Roman Polanski's parody of the vampire film. Professor Abronsius and his assistant Alfred arrive at a village in Eastern Europe. The professor wants to prove that vampires exist, and there is indeed a castle nearby. When the innkeeper's daughter is taken, the two go into it. The register is double: it works as parody while the visual construction is built like a serious gothic film. Snowy landscapes, candlelight, wide castle sets and the colour scheme stay faithful to the genre's own language. The comedy comes from inside it, from the characters' incompetence. The best-known passage is the ball at the castle: in a crowd passing a mirror, only three reflections appear. Polanski plays Alfred himself. Sharon Tate plays the innkeeper's daughter; the two met on this film. The American version is different. MGM shortened it, changed the dubbing and added an animated prologue. Polanski rejected that version. The music is by Krzysztof Komeda. One of the particular examples of its kind for anyone who likes parody and gothic horror together. For a viewer expecting fast comedy, the film moves slowly and the jokes are sparse; the real strength is in the image.