a_baron This is a slightly off-beat vampire film; how many times have you seen a vampire staking one of its kind through the heart?Made in black and white, presumably to give it extra atmosphere, it features a swathe of gorgeous Italian girls - including blondes - residents/students of a rural dance school. So far, so good. Two of them and their male companion go for a walk in the woods, and take shelter in a mysterious castle which is inhabited by an even more mysterious countess. Yes, she is a vampire, but things are not that simple. She may be four hundred years old, but she is not mistress of her own domain; she is also in an unhappy marriage, and she wants out of it. This may not be the best vampire film ever made, but considering the state of Italian cinema in 1960, it is a credible effort, and no doubt later Italian horror films owe much to it.

christopher-underwood Great title and to my surprise there really is a ballerina, well several of them, more 'dancers' to be honest. These leggy ladies prance about a lot but the music for the film is so dreadfully inappropriate most of the time, it is to little effect. Shame really that the whole film is so mixed in quality. Some scenes are really effective, although these tend to be ones reminding one of earlier b/w horrors and others seem about to slip into farce. dialogue equally unreliable and overall the movie is confused and in turn confusing. I know the business of vampire victims coming back as vampires or remaining as 'blood banks' has always seemed a bit arbitrary but here even the characters don't seem to get it. This has to be the first such film when head vampire puts a stake through the heart of a potential fellow to prevent her from causing trouble on his patch. Worth a look, especially bearing in mind the director's later greats but a certain amount of patience required.

HumanoidOfFlesh A group of sultry Italian ballerinas is terrorized by the vampire and his countess Lucia in an old and dusty castle."The Vampire and the Ballerina" is arguably the first Italian horror movie of early 60's.Mario Bava's immortal "Black Sunday" went into production three months later.The film is worth seeing for its vintage B&W atmosphere,a subtly erotic elements and glorious Gothic mood.All the ladies are strikingly beautiful and there is some tame bloodsucking action.Actually one of the dancers is a very young Femi Benussi."The Vampire and the Ballerina" was shot in Piccolomini castle built in 1470 on the remains of a previous fortified structure and now surrounded by a wonderful green park.If you are a fan of Italian horror watch this stylish mood piece as soon as possible.8 out of 10.

thomandybish The first time I saw THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, it was in an 8-millimeter version that belonged to my cousin(remember the old 8 and Super 8 millimeter versions of old movies you could buy at K-mart and show on your folks home movie projectors?)That abbreviated version only included the final scene, and honestly, that was the best part of this Italian-made horror cheapie that obviously filled out many a drive-in double feature or "shock theater" spooky show on independant television. A troupe of dancers come to a spooky medieval castle for . . . some reason. It's not clear. At any rate, they're accompanied by several males: a choreographer, a male dancer, and a boyfriend(if I remember). The next door neighbors in the ajoining castle are a strange, imperious woman and her male servant who, in his more interesting moments, turns into a mouldering, rubber-faced vampire. But who are they really? Is the woman the master of the vampire, or the vampire the master of the woman? The vampire attacks one of the dancers(the "ballerina" of the title)and makes her his slave, which leads two of the male characters to chase the vampire and the mysterious lady to a thrilling rooftop climax! Inbetween there's lots of nonsensical action, such as dialogue with long meaningful pauses, sequences in which the dancers are alternately chased or are following people, usually traversing steep banks in stiletto heels, and dance rehearsal scenes in which nary a hint of a ballerina is seen--unless all ballerinas rehearse by doing cartwheels and interpretive dance moves while wearing black leotards and character shoes. Go figure. If you rent this thing, fast forward to the last ten minutes. Therein lies the payoff.