Writers/historians Nige Burton & Jamie Jones grant Classic Monsters of the Movies a 36-pg, tribute to Roman Polanski's wintery, MGM, horror-comedy classic, Dance of the Vampires, better known in the U.S. as The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, but Your Teeth Are in My Neck.
The plot concerns a kidnapped, innkeeper's daughter and how her retrieval reveals a vampire-attended, ballroom event. In a way, Dance/Fearless is a precursor to Hammer's Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, though with one of its heroic duo a Van Helsing/Clouseau composite and the other a meek yet lascivious lad. And in fine, Hammer emulation, Dance/Fearless promotes several beautiful ladies, including Sharon Tate, who was soon to be Polanski's striking spouse.
Burton & Jones cover the couple at length, with director Polanski holding a significant, acting role in the film (as the slayer-in-training, Alfred, that is). However, the authors reference the movie's accompanying contributors, as well: Polanski's cowriter Gerard (Wonderwall) Brach; producer Gene (Repulsion/Cul-de-Sac) Gutowski; cinematographer Douglas (Circus of Horrors/Indiana Jones/Fathom/Rollerball) Slocombe; composer Christopher/Krztsztof (Rosemary's Baby/Knife in the Water/Cul-de-Sac) Komeda; and the additional, headlining and supporting performers: Jack (The Exorcist/Doctor Zhivago) MacGowran, as bat expert Professor Abronsius; Fiona (Dracula 1974/The Fury/Dr. Phibes Rises Again) Lewis; Alfie Bass, Jessie Robins, boxing champ, Terry "Paddington Express" Downes; Sydney (Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell/An American Werewolf in London) Bromley; Ferdy (Where Eagles Dare/Barry Lyndon) Mayne as the thirsty Count von Krolock; and Iain (Cul-de-Sac/Wonderwall/One Plus One) Quarrier as his equally thirsty, Lestat-ish son, Herbert.
The edition is adorned by rare stills, marvelous, marketing materials, trivia and quotes, which enrich the authors' historical analysis and heighten one's reading pleasure.
Take a bite out of this "ultimate guide," or perhaps let it take a bite out of you. Either way, you'll find it well worth the vampiric pursuit.🧛(Now, if only Burton & Jones would tackle Polanski's Rosemary's Baby; please, oh, please make it so, my scholarly compatriots!)
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