THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS

In the mid-19th century, Professor Abronsius, formerly of the University of Königsberg, and his young apprentice Alfred are on the hunt for vampires. Abronsius is old and withering and barely able to survive the cold ride through the wintry forests, while Alfred is bumbling and introverted. The two hunters come to a small village in Transylvania seemingly at the end of a long search for signs of vampires. The two stay at a local inn full of angst-ridden townspeople who perform strange rituals to fend off an unseen evil.

While staying at the inn, Alfred develops a fondness for Sarah, the overprotected daughter of the tavern keeper, Yoine Shagal. Alfred witnesses Sarah being kidnapped by the local vampire lord Count von Krolock. In despair and armed only with a bunch of garlic, Shagal sets out to rescue Sarah that night, but in the morning, he is found frozen outside the inn, with fang marks on his wrist, leg and abdomen. After Shagal, now a vampire, rises and attacks Magda, the tavern's beautiful maidservant and the object of his lust when he was still human, Abronsius and Alfred follow his trail in the snow, which leads them to the Count's ominous castle in the snow-blanketed hills nearby. They break into the castle but are trapped by the Count's hunchbacked servant, Koukol. They are taken to see the Count, who declares himself a fan of Abronsius's research on vampirism. They also meet the Count's son, the foppish (and homosexual) Herbert, who expresses an immediate interest in Alfred. Meanwhile, Shagal, no longer caring about his daughter's fate, sets up his plan to turn Magda into his vampire bride.

Despite misgivings, Abronsius and Alfred accept the Count's invitation to stay in his ramshackle Gothic castle, where Alfred spends the night more fitfully than his teacher. The next morning, Abronsius plans to find the castle crypt and destroy the Count by staking him in the heart, seemingly forgetting about the fate of Sarah. Since the crypt is guarded by the hunchback, they attempt to climb in through a roof window. However, Abronsius gets stuck in the aperture, leaving Alfred to complete the task of killing the Count in his slumber. At the last moment, he loses his nerve and fails to accomplish the deed. Alfred then has to go back outside to free Abronsius, but on the way, he comes upon Sarah having a bath in her room. She seems oblivious of her danger when he pleads for her to come away with him, and informs him that a grand ball is to take place that night. After briefly taking his eyes off her, Alfred turns to find Sarah has vanished into thin air.

After freeing Abronsius, who is half-frozen, they re-enter the castle. Alfred again seeks Sarah but encounters Herbert instead, who first attempts to seduce him, and then, after Alfred realizes that Herbert's reflection does not appear in the mirror, reveals his vampire nature and attempts to bite him. Abronsius and Alfred flee from Herbert through a dark stairway to safety, only to be trapped behind a locked door in a turret. As night falls, they become horrified witnesses as the graves below open up to reveal a huge number of vampires of various past centuries at the castle, who hibernate and meet once a year only to feast upon any captives the Count has provided for them. The Count appears, mocking them and tells them their fate is sealed: he plans to turn both Abronsius and Alfred into vampires. He tells Abronsius that they will enjoy long evening discussions, being intellectual equals, and that Alfred will make an excellent companion for his son, who has told him of his fondness for the youth. The Count then locks them out on the turret to attend the ball, where Sarah will be presented as the next vampire victim.

The hunters escape by firing a cannon at the door—substituting steam pressure for gunpowder—and come to the ball in disguise, where, although exposed by their reflections in a huge mirror, they are able to grab Sarah and escape. Fleeing in a horse-drawn sleigh, Abronsius and Alfred are unaware that Sarah had been transformed; she awakens in mid-flight as a vampire and bites Alfred while Abronsius obliviously drives on, thus allowing vampires to spread across the world.