Early 70's Brit-Horror Double Feature: Vampire Circus (1972) and The Mutations (1974)

I just found Vampire Circus for the first time, and it's my favorite Hammer film I've yet seen. I already have a soft spot for any movie with bad things happening in a circus/carnival setting. So you get that dark carny element, as well as the vampirism (synonymous with plague in this context). It's also surprisingly violent, transgressive, and sexy. Free on youtube for a potentially limited time. This print is a little dark, so I encourage you to find a better version for money elsewhere. The copy I just saw looked great.







 I've sung the praises of The Mutations here in this blog before. But back then I could only offer a short clip. The whole movie is available now. I've owned the DVD for the last decade and have re-watched it twice. You need to see this.

And dig this connection... Shortly after Tom Baker starred in The Mutations, he began his stint as Doctor Who in 1974. One of his companions was played by Lalla Ward. They were co-stars for two years on the show, then ended up getting real-life married. She plays the female twin in Vampire Circus. Also, the circus strongman is David Prowse, who a year earlier was the old man's bodyguard in A Clockwork Orange, and would go on to play Darth Vader.

I haven't blogged in a while. Just tried putting a couple images of movie posters, but Google won't allow any pictures unless I own them. Whatever happened to "fair use?" Not fair at all.