THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE (1963)
Article #284 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 12-24-2001
Posting date: 5-9-2002

A troupe of showgirls is forced to spend the night in a creepy castle when the bridge goes out.

This one was a pleasant surprise; I was expecting a sex movie masquerading as a vampire flick; instead, it’s a vampire flick masquerading as a sex movie. In other words, the director was more interested in the horror, and this movie is not bad in that regard. Sure, the dubbing is substandard, and the scene of the women practicing their dance routine demonstrates all too adaquately that not only didn’t they cast dancers, but that their choreographer was working none too hard to pull in the paycheck (I initially thought they didn’t have one at all, but then I saw a name in the credits). And, like SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES, it goes on for several minutes after the movie is essentially over. Still, it works as a horror movie without resorting overmuch to formula, and that was enough for me. Walter Brandi plays the vampire.