Villain(s)  Vampires

Actor(s):  Jack MacGowran, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Alfie Bass

Brief Description  The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, but Your Teeth Are in My Neck (originally released in the UK as Dance of the Vampires) is a 1967 gothic comedy-horror film directed by Roman Polanski. Written by Polanski and Gérard Brach, the movie serves as an atmospheric, slapstick parody of classic Hammer Film Productions vampire movies. It is highly notable for its rich, dreamlike visual style, its winter setting, and for being the project where Polanski met his future wife, Sharon Tate. This was Polanski's first color film. He wanted to create a fairy tale that was visually spectacular but structurally humorous, blending authentic Eastern European folklore elements with slapstick comedy.

Plot:
The story is set in a snowy, remote corner of the Carpathian Mountains during the 19th century. Professor Abronsius and his assistant Alfred arrive at a small, rustic tavern heavily decorated with wreaths of garlic. The local villagers act highly suspicious and completely deny the existence of vampires, despite showing obvious signs of superstitious dread. While staying at the inn, Alfred falls deeply in love with Sarah, the innkeeper Shagal's daughter, whom he spots taking a bath. Soon after, the imposing Count von Krolock descends from the ceiling through a skylight and abducts Sarah, whisking her away to his mountain fortress. In a desperate attempt to rescue his daughter, Shagal ventures out into the snowy wilderness but is found frozen to death the next morning, covered in mysterious puncture wounds. When Shagal's corpse revives as a vampire that night, Abronsius and Alfred follow his trail through the deep snow directly to the gates of Count von Krolock's Gothic castle.

Upon arrival, the vampires do not attack; instead, Count von Krolock smoothly welcomes the duo and invites them to stay as his guests. The next day, the Professor and Alfred try to locate the castle's crypt to stake the sleeping vampires in their coffins. However, their bumbling nature gets the better of them: the Professor becomes wedged in a narrow window frame, and a terrified Alfred cannot bring himself to drive the stake into the Count's heart. As they wander the castle, Alfred encounters Sarah, who is being kept in luxury ahead of a grand celebration. He begs her to flee with him, but she is utterly enchanted by the castle's opulence and refuses to leave before the upcoming dance. Meanwhile, Alfred is cornered by the Count’s son, Herbert, who tries to bite him in a comical, terrifying chase through the castle corridors.

The climax of the film takes place during a lavish, eerie midnight ball hosted by the Count for dozens of decaying aristocrats who have risen from their graves. Sarah is presented as the guest of honor, intended to be fully drained and turned into a vampire permanently. Abronsius and Alfred successfully ambush two vampire guests, steal their period costumes, and sneak into the ballroom to blend in with the dancing undead. Their disguise works perfectly until the crowd dances past an enormous mirror on the wall. Because vampires do not cast reflections, the entire room is stunned to see only three figures reflected in the glass: the Professor, Alfred, and Sarah. Chaos ensues. The heroes use a makeshift wooden cross to hold back the vampire horde and manage to escape into the night on a horse-drawn sleigh, taking Sarah with them. As they ride away into the sunrise, a triumphant Professor Abronsius happily drives the sleigh, completely oblivious to what is happening behind him. In the back of the sleigh, Sarah opens her mouth to reveal razor-sharp fangs and bites Alfred right on the neck. The film concludes with a grim, ironic narration stating that the Professor unknowingly carried the very evil he sought to destroy out into the wider world.