Vampire Circus (1972)

A young woman (Domini Blythe) steals away children for her vampire lover (Robert Tayman), much to the obvious dismay of her husband (Laurence Payne). When he gets the locals with him, it soon becomes a standard mob situation. The woman is punished and then driven back into the castle of her lover, to die with him as it is set on fire. Some years later, the local village is suffering from a mysterious disease. It is quarantined and left to rot away while the inhabitants struggle to find a cure and end their bad luck. They believe it is a curse, laid upon them by the vampire they defeated. When a travelling circus breaks through the quarantine it at first looks set to bring some much-needed cheer and distraction to everyone, but it soon becomes clear that they have other reasons for visiting the area.

While there are some familiar faces onscreen here (with Thorley Walters being probably the one most recognisable to Hammer fans), this is very much a film populated by lesser-known names on both sides of the camera. Adrienne Corri makes quite an impression as the gypsy woman leading the circus into town, young John Moulder-Brown isn't too bad and Dave Prowse is strong and silent as the Strongman, of course.

The screenplay by Judson Kinberg doesn't have much in the way of great, memorable dialogue, but it does have a selection of nice ideas throughout, nicely executed by director Robert Young. Those ideas include a fantastic routine between a circus man and a feral woman fighting/dancing with him, some interesting use of mirrors and the fun being had by some of the circus performers before they show their true colours.

The mix of vampirism and carnival atmosphere should be a winner, but the film never takes off. It's surprisingly flat throughout, before spoiling everything with a finale that just throws together too many silly moments to make it worthwhile. As the end credits roll, viewers will be left feeling majorly dissatisfied. Which is never good.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vampire-Circus-DVD-Adrienne-Corri/dp/B004FN7JCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382300097&sr=8-1&keywords=vampire+circus

Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell (1974)

The final entry in Hammer's series of Frankenstein movies is actually a welcome return to form for all involved, mainly thanks to the character of Baron Frankenstein being once again portrayed as someone well-intentioned but morally dubious as opposed to the outright evil schemer he was depicted as in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed.

This time around the Baron (Peter Cushing) is joined by young Simon Helder (Shane Briant), a man who has been sentenced to time in an insane asylum after being caught carrying out experiments based on the Baron's work. When Frankenstein reveals his real identity to the young man and outlines a plan it's not long before the body parts start to pile up and things get ever more problematic.

With Anthony Hinds writing and Terence Fisher directing, this particular Hammer horror rises above its relatively low budget to provide a fitting final outing for the man who is constantly trying to cheat death.

Cushing is as good as ever, Shane Briant acquits himself well and Madeline Smith, John Stratton, Bernard Lee and everyone else onscreen (including David Prowse, hidden once again behind a mask but doing a better job than he did last time he was asked to play the central creature) manage to hold their own.

It's perhaps inevitable that a lot of the material here feels overly familiar and a little bit lazy but there is also some dark, twisted stuff in here (including the reason for Madeline Smith's character not talking) and some proper nastiness that still manages to retain some impact to this day.

It's not really the best swansong that we could have for the Baron but it's a hell of a long way from the worst and, for that, I'm glad.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankenstein-And-Monster-From-Hell/dp/B004NOQ9W2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354725685&sr=8-1

The Horror Of Frankenstein (1970)

Frankenstein for a new generation. This movie doesn't have any of the elderly Hammer stalwarts (and they're sorely missed) but it does have an energy to it and a lot of positives thanks to a witty script and a great central performance from Ralph Bates. He may be no Cushing but he gives an enjoyable, youthful take on Victor Frankenstein and carries the film through some of its lean patches.

Directed by Jimmy Sangster (who also co-wrote the film with Jeremy Burnham), this movie may upset the purists but it's hard to see how anyone can come to hate it. Yes, it's essentially a rehash of The Curse Of Frankenstein but that's not the worst cinematic crime in the world. Young Victor upsets a number of people, from his father to his lecturers, as he grows from a boy into a man obsessed with the idea of bringing the dead back to life.

The pacing is brisk, the acting is all enjoyable (highlights = Kate O'Mara playing a great, lusty housekeeper, Dennis Price as a professional graverobber and Veronica Carlson as the fragile beauty this time around) and everything still feels lovingly crafted and unrushed, even if it is aiming for a younger audience.

I felt, as many others surely did, that I would miss many of the more seasoned Hammer stars this time but I actually managed to put them aside and enjoy almost every moment of the movie, a testament to just how many things the movie gets right. The one, big, negative point is the monster itself when it finally appears. Dave Prowse just doesn't cut it as the creature and it's in the moments featuring his lacklustre performance that the movie falters.

I'm sure that I'm not going to change the minds of any die-hard fans here but I liked this film a fair bit and think it deserves a bit more praise than it gets. It maintains a balance between nastiness and dark comedy from the first scene right up to the wonderful punchline just before the end credits roll and, personally, I think it's a much better way to push the character to modern audiences than the approach that was attempted with Dracula A.D. 1972.

Of course, I may be completely wrong (it wouldn't be the first time). Give it a look and see what you think. If you enjoy it then I can put on my smug face for a day, if you hate it then I can go back to hiding behind the false beard and dark glasses.

7/10

Yet another movie available in this bargain boxset - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ultimate-Hammer-Collection-Disc/dp/B000HN31KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354487105&sr=8-1