The Vampire and the Ballerina

8/11/2025

**_The precursor to Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”_** When a troupe of mostly female dancers stay at a professor’s mansion southeast of Rome, two of them (Helene Remy and Tina Gloriani) and a male friend make the mistake of seeking shelter at a nearby abandoned castle during a storm. The problem is, it’s inhabited by two predatory vampires, one male and the other female. “The Vampire and the Ballerina” (1960) is a B&W Italian production originally called “The Lover of the Vampire” (translated from Italian). The old, hideous vampire transforming into a normal-looking male after drinking fresh blood is a concept borrowed by Francis Ford Coppola & (writer) James Hart for their "Bram Stoker's Dracula" 32 years later. Hammer’s “Horror of Dracula” came out two years earlier, but was