The small town of Schtettle befalls a dreaded curse as schoolteacher’s wife Anna leads a young girl to the lair of her demonic lover, Count Mitterhaus, who promptly murders the innocent child. A vigilante group storm Mitterhaus’ castle, overcoming him and thus destroying him.

“Your children will die to give me back my life” utters the monstrous Count as he is impaled by a wooden stake. Indeed the villagers’ children will die in this lavishly made Hammer fang-flick directed by Robert Young.

Fifteen years pass as the disease ridden town of Schtettle is quarantined and blockaded. Any remaining and able inhabitants are unable to escape their plague-ridden chasm for the promise of a bullet.

Roll up, roll up! A circus band of gypsies, "The Circus of Nights", manage to cross the barricade and arrive in town – boasting of their regal show and promising thrills aplenty, bringing a welcome ray of sunshine to the villagers. However, evil soon comes to pass as the true nature of circus begins to unfold. Indeed, these are no ordinary circus folk but kinsmen of the dreaded Mitterhaus, seemingly intent on exacting his deadly promise.

The film itself was shot between the summer of 1971 and the infancy of the following year. A great cast, which includes Hammer stalwart Thorley Walters, also comprised of a number of non-British genuine circus performers.

Robert Tayman plays a mean Mitterhaus. All be them brief, his appearances throughout the film are hugely effective in maintaining a sense of terror and intent, reminding the viewer just who the fountainhead of this evil plot is.

Anthony Corlan swaps his previous hero role in Taste The Blood Of Dracula for the dark, shape-shifting Emil, who specialises in seducing girls and slaughtering the faltering community. Indeed only two of the primary characters manage to reach the end credits.

Movie buffs may also recognise the circus strongman as David Prowse, the man who would later go on to fill Darth Vader clothes in Star Wars.

Supposedly, comparisons were made by some parties’ between parts of this films’ sub-plot and the infamous and tragic Moors’ Murders, which took place in 1960s England. I’m sure must have left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Hammer aficionados and I cannot honestly see it being anything other that vague coincidence.

The censors, yet again (yawn), did not like all of which they saw and the American release is alleged to have been cut by some 3 minutes, in contrast to it’s UK counterpart.

Overall, the film runs smoothly and is very entertaining. There is a fantastically deep and eerie musical score, as effective in my opinion as that which decorated Horror Of Dracula and The Devil Rides Out.

I have a gripe with the haste in which Mitterhaus is destroyed following his resurrection (a bit more dialogue and background would have been nice) but that is a minor hitch possibly down to some greed on my part. Mind you, the question I must ask myself is - do I really want this Mitterhaus guy hanging round any longer than necessary? (Stu Miller, 4/25/06)

Directed By: Robert Young.
Written By: Judson Kinberg.

Starring: Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters, Anthony Higgins, John Moulder-Brown.