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Fearless Vampire Killers (1 Viewer)

Charles H

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Jan 7, 2004
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If memory serves me right, the letterboxed LD had an alternate opening--one animated and one over the opening action. There was a short-lived aborted Broadway musical version last year called DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES starring Michael Crawford that had PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ambitions and had CARRIE-worthy reviews.
 

Howard Glenn

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Apr 16, 2003
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I'll be happy to buy this if the only compromise is having to except the altertered title. This will be great if it is in fact the original Polanski version, and not the terrible altered version that MGM slapped together.

Howie
 

John Fleming

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Aug 25, 1998
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I was pleasantly surprised to see The Fearless Vampire Killers pictured on the upcoming Tuesday releases page of the Sunday newspaper Best Buy advertising circular. Many people have never even heard of this film so the fact that it was listed with cover artwork is pretty cool. To be honest (and I admit the whole matter is trivial), initially I didn't like the cover artwork but it grew on me because like the film itself, it's pretty unique...plus, it's from one of the old movie posters and that's typically a good thing. Although it would have been nice to have the animated short which preceded the butchered version, as an extra on the DVD release, I can't complain. I'll just be thrilled to have it in its original widescreen presentation...seeing this film in pan & scan with its cinematography is a crime - I can't wait.
About 2 more days before I need to change my sig :)
 

Howard Glenn

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I haven't read up on this release...

Do we know if this is Polanski's original version...or the edited/revised one???????


H
 

John Hodson

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From this review:
"Though the title is what the re-cut American release was saddled with (the original title is Dance of the Vampires, this is the uncut movie (shorn of the silly cartoon that preceded the credits of the American version)."
Mine arrived today; I'll watch it tonight!
 

Bob Cashill

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To Dave Mack: The DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES musical, a one-for-the-ages flop that starred Michael Crawford, closed early last year. [Its European counterpart, a much different show, may still be running in Vienna.] You may be thinking of the current DRACULA: THE MUSICAL, a bloody bore lacking camp appeal.
 

Claude North

Second Unit
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Apr 21, 2003
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Does the DVD have the "All Eyes On Sharon Tate" featurette that was included on the laserdisc? That, alone, would make it a worthwhile purchase...
 

ArthurMy

Supporting Actor
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Jul 27, 2004
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Bob Cashill: I know it gets confusing sometimes, but in defense of David Mack, he made his post in January of 2003 when DOTV WAS playing.
 

JoshuaB.

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Feb 9, 2004
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One of my most-desired DVDs comes out tomorrow (along with The Hunger)! Hopefully it will be the uncut version, but those of us who already have the disc should be able to tell us shortly!
 
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Mark
Would someone please post a review of this ASAP! I cannot wait to get this tomorrow.
"Though the title is what the re-cut American release was saddled with (the original title is Dance of the Vampires, this is the uncut movie (shorn of the silly cartoon that preceded the credits of the American version)."
I hope they kept the animated sequence at the beginning, where the MGM lion turns into a vampire and drips blood from a fang! Great stuff!:D
My DVD Collection
 

John Fleming

Stunt Coordinator
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Aug 25, 1998
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I'm with ya Mark...let's hope they kept the MGM lion morphing into the animated vampire - that was a stroke of genius (and kind of sets the tone for the movie in my opinion).

Jeff, thanks; as you know, I will indeed enjoy watching this movie (especially during the upcoming winter months). I turned my wife onto this film and I suspect there'll be many more converts as a result of its DVD release. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Jussi, thanks again for your part in getting the petition started; I'd like to think that your efforts played a part in bringing this relatively obscure film to DVD.

You can bet my two boys and I will be paying the local Best Buy a visit Tuesday night.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Actually, according to the review at DVD Drive-In, the alternate cartoon opening, known to those of us that have the old MGM/UA LD (or saw it in theaters and on TV prior to the restoration) sadly isn't present on the new Warner DVD.
The MGM lion transforming into a green-skinned humanoid vampire is there on the DVD as part of the film itself, as it was on the LD (and on Turner Classic Movies broadcasts), but the animated opening (included as a separate supplement on the LD) was a much more extensive thing than that.
The alternate animated sequence is a few minutes long, completely in cartoon animation (and in pantomime), showing Jay Ward-style simple caricatured versions of Prof. Abronsius and Alfred chasing (and being chased by) a vampire (who has a giggly laugh, courtesy of Paul Frees) in a rural graveyard landscape (rendered in crayon), ultimately dispatching the fiend with a stake to the heart. Suddenly, the MGM lion logo appears behind them, with the lion freezing in mid-roar and growing long vampire fangs (rather than turning into the creepy green guy) that drip the drop of blood that falls through the opening credits.
So, the DVD loses the alternate animated opening sequence, the ALL EYES ON SHARON TATE featurette (which was actually made to promote Tate's earlier film, EYE OF THE DEVIL (1966)), keeps the trailer, and gains the FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS featurette. I can easily see Warner bringing out the Tate featurette if they release EYE OF THE DEVIL on DVD, but the lack of the animated sequence is puzzling and a bit disappointing. But I have the LD, so will burn it onto a DVD-R for myself, along with other genre film supplements that didn't make the transition from LD to legit DVD. Meanwhile, I look forward to the arrival in the mail of the new Warner DVD.
 

ArthurMy

Supporting Actor
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Jul 27, 2004
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Since no one seems to have actually watched the DVD here, it looks pretty great. Skin tones are a bit on the brown side, but it's very sharp and otherwise the colors seem accurate to my eye. I love this film, and I love its score by Christopher Komeda (Or Krystof). I couldn't be more pleased, and I don't really give a fig about the animated sequence, which was not part of Polanski's original cut (at least I don't think it was).

Also picked up the It's Alive pix, and they all look terrific, too.
 
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Jan 12, 2004
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Mark
Great to finally have this on DVD!

Jussi: Three cheers to you for starting the petition. Someone should start a petition to get the soundtrack released on CD.

Peter: Thanks for that informative post on the history of the format releases. Interesting.

One thing I noticed while watching the disc was a slight discrepancy between this and the VHS. When Ferdy descends from the roof to Sharon Tate and bites her, I thought I saw a bit more flesh on her in the VHS version. In particular I thought she struggled more and there was a momentary glimpse of her left breast. Now, I'm not obsessed with nudity in movies (although Sharon Tate is gorgeous, to be sure) but I thought there was some editing. Did anyone else notice this? Unfortunately I no longer have my VHS copy to compare.

Very thankful to Warner for releasing this.
 

obscurelabel

Stunt Coordinator
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Dec 11, 2003
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Larry
I can't comment on the VHS, but when I saw this movie in a theater in the 1980s (at least one 70mm print was exhibited in specialty theaters with some regularity), I didn't notice any nudity in the scene that you mentioned. It's been a while though, but I think I would have remembered that. I remember how the soap bubbles in the bath covered her up pretty artfully.
 

ArthurMy

Supporting Actor
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Jul 27, 2004
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590
The soundtrack is available (coupled with Rosemary's Baby) on an import CD from Poland - Polania CD 160, which I'm sure is still available at soundtrack specialty shops such as Footlight here in NY (where I got it).
 

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