Interview & Review: Vampire Circus returns to L.A.
Interview with the Vampire Circus Creator Francisco Santos on clowning around with the undead.
Since originally posting on September 16, this article has been updated with additional photographs and a review at the bottom.
Combining big-top entertainment with the undead is not quite unprecedented (fans of Hammer horror films will remember their 1972 effort Vampire Circus). It is, however, highly unusual; after all, a circus is supposed to be inhabited by clowns, knife-throwers, and sword-swallowers, not haunted by blood-drinkers. And yet, somehow, Vampire Circus manages to be both eerie and energetic as its cursed performers defy the laws of physics in ways that seem truly otherworldly.
Besides taking vampires out of the crypt, Vampire Circus also takes the circus out of the big top and puts it onto the stage, where it can draw a black-tie audience in addition to circus fans. This is not an old-fashioned three-ring circus with wild animals presided over by a ring master. It’s a theatrical presentation, basically part of a four-decade trend (which began with Cirque du Soleil in 1984) of presenting circus as more artform than crude carnival antics.

In anticipation of the September 19 return of Vampire Circus to the Montalbán theatre in Hollywood, we sat down with the show’s creator and lead clown, Francisco Santos, whose antics add comic relief to the loose narrative about a circus troop cursed for having taken refuge in the shadow of Castle Dracula. The discussion ranged from the origin and inspiration for combining circus and supernatural; the difficulty of staging arial acts on a theatrical stage; and his love of horror movies and Halloween haunts, such as Orange County’s 17th Door.
Interview: Francisco Santos on Vampire Circus

The transcript below has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: How did you get the idea to combine a circus with vampires?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: I’m the eighth generation of my family in the circus; my family has been in circus since 1703. I used to work for Cirque du Soleil, and as a circus kid we all dream one day to have our own circus. I was always a crazy fan of horror movies: Stephen King, The Exorcist, Hitchcock. I always thought, “One day I want to do my show, and I want to find a niche, something that is different.” I start digging and looking, and it’s been a long road to come with the with the Vampire Circus.
I was always a crazy fan of horror movies: Stephen King, The Exorcist, Hitchcock. I always thought, “One day I want to do my show, and I want to find a niche, something that is different.”
To be honest, I wanted only to work in October and not work the rest of the year, and my focus was toward haunted houses because I know the traffic they make, and [we would sell tickets to] people that don’t want to go to a haunted house but want to take the kids and have a good time with something spooky, because there was literally nothing else for Halloween. Now there’s more shows; at the time, it was just haunted houses.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Once you had the idea, was it easy to get people to think it would work, or did they think it was crazy?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: People didn’t really believe at the beginning, especially in the haunt industry, [but] it was really successful, and after that we started to have copycats. We’ve been around since 2010, and it’s been it’s been a blast. We’re fully booked all over the US and Canada every year. One very nice thing is that in cities we’ve been going for three/four years in a row, people tell us, “I don’t feel it’s Halloween until I go to the Vampire Circus.”

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: For people who saw Vampire Circus last Halloween, how is it different this year?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: We have different acts. The whole cast we’re bringing into Los Angeles is totally new. We’re doing a couple of new clown acts.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: So, we will see different acts, not just a different cast?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: We have a contortionist we didn’t have last year. There is a diabolo act. We have a hand-to-hand act. We don’t have the girl [hanging from her hair], but we have two different arial acts. So we did we did a nice mix of of new acts in the show.
Interview: Circus on Stage instead of Big Top

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: For those who don’t know what the vampire circus is, especially people who imagine a circus is just a tent with juggling and clowns, explain how this is different from an old-fashioned circus.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: The difference we have with the old-fashioned circus is that we really – because I worked almost 18 years with Cirque du Soleil, and I learned a lot with them – we really have a storyline about a circus that was traveling to Transylvania. We have a speech at the intro, and we try to follow the storyline throughout the show. A circus stopped to sleep in a forest because there was a storm, and a horde of vampires attacked and killed the entire circus. All the performers are transformed into vampires, but they’re allowed to perform one time every 500 years; some of them on that particular day, their circus skills come back again, and they just need the clapping of the hand to feed themselves instead of the blood.
My wife said, “If you buy [a big top circus], I divorce, because they’re a lot of work.” I said, “Okay, then we work in theater.”
By performing in a theatre, it gives you a totally a different aspect and feeling than a big top. I love big tops, but I don’t have one because my wife does not let me buy one. She said, “If you buy one, I divorce, because they’re a lot of work.” I said, “Okay, then we work in theater.” We try to follow…let’s say a more theatrical approach. It’s not just the clown and the kids and the lights and the popcorn. We have all that, but we’re trying to be more theatrical by having a storyline, very elaborate makeup. I always have two makeup artists that do the makeup of the performers, because it’s a very important aspect of the show. People need to look stunning; they need to look perfect on stage. Not just allowing any guy that’s an acrobat to do their own makeup – because they’re acrobats, not makeup artists.

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Is there anything that’s particularly challenging about the Vampire Circus in terms of physically staging it and traveling that’s more than doing a big top circus?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: The trickiest part is this: When you’re on a traditional circus in a big top, you have very easy ways to attach all the arial [equipment]. Every theater is different, so every time we go into a new theater, we have to change the position of the arialist; we have to change the position of the rig; we have to move the set. Basically, we do new rehearsals every time we come into a theater, because not all theaters are built the same. Sometimes we’ve been in a place that we couldn’t have a center point, and the arialist was shifted to the right, so we have to refocus all the lights for that particular act and divide the set into two pieces, so when the arialists are doing their acts, [they are not awkwardly off to the side of the stage].There are some theaters we cannot even do it, so we put smaller arial acts instead of having the ones that go pretty high in the air.
Interview: Setting the Stage with Castle Dracula
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Who designed the set of Dracula’s Castle? Once you saw that, you felt you were in store for something good.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: I designed the set. There’s a couple of manufacturers for haunted houses that built those things. We designed all the pieces, and we’re adding new pieces this year; we just purchase new gargoyle. It’s a never-ending process.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Following on this idea for the benefit if people who haven’t seen Vampire Circus yet, what percentage is it vampire and what percentage is it circus?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: We could say 50-50 split. One thing we push a lot is comedy. Today people need to laugh. If I’m on stage and I don’t see people having a good time, then I feel it’s wasted. We need to make people happy.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: That 50-50 split was apparent throughout the show, because you’d get that horror from the famous Bach organ music (Toccata and Fuge in D Minor), but then it would be followed by that little happy piece of music. It told you what you were getting – it’s spooky and fun.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: We took the Bach part and then we shifted into the song we created for the intro of the clowns. I wanted to have like stupid clown music being spooky, and I wanted to be repetitive, so it stays in your ear all the time.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: I definitely noticed the appeal was to the whole family. There was audience participation with adults and children. That’s one thing that separates you from Paranormal Cirque – they are aimed at ages 13 or over. With your show, parents don’t need to worry that it’s too adult or too scary for their kids.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: Yes, and also to be honest, if you look at a horror movie, you have suspense, and you have two, three, four scares that make you jump out of your seat. On a live show, you have suspense because you have those acrobats in the air – it keeps the people on the edge of the seat – but it’s literally impossible to scare the shit out of people while you’re on stage performing and doing the clowns and stuff. So the whole idea is to maintain the concept of the show and the spookiness and the magic of this season that we all love.
Interview: Clowning Around with Vampires & Elves

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: One more thing that I found interesting was, unlike a traditional circus, you don’t have a ring master. Instead, you have the two clowns who appear throughout. Was that an important decision?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: It’s mainly because of the storyline. I’m not a great fan of ring masters, because I think every time the ring master comes on stage, the show fades. So for us to be able to keep the rhythm of the show and the story of the show with the transitions, we needed to get rid of that character.
I’m not a great fan of ring masters, because I think every time the ring master comes on stage, the show fades.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: How important to the show are the clowns? They link scenes together and make it feel like it’s not just one act after another.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: I think it’s the key to the show, actually. I do two units of the show; one unit, my brother performs in it, and because he’s my brother we much look alike, and I still have to pull his ears because he wants to do things his way, but it’s really difficult to find somebody to replace me. That particular character I created for the show: it’s the core of the show; it’s what makes the show totally different than others.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Does the Vampire Circus theme affect what acts you use? Are there talented thing things people do that just don’t fit with vampires?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: There are a couple of acts I wanted to have in the show they don’t really fit. They’re too childish, if you want to say so. Like there’s a guy on a unicycle – he’s amazing, and he always performs in our Christmas show, Santa Circus. It has to be a specific powerful act to perform in the [Vampire Circus].
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: How different is Santa Circus – obviously Santa Claus instead of vampires – in terms of the acts that people see?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: In Vampire Circus, all the acts are more obscure and more, let’s say, powerful. In Santa Circus, the way we lay out the show is playful and joyful. The idea is the elves are getting ready for Santa to deliver the presents on Christmas day, and [we see] all the stress they have preparing the presents on the sleigh.
Interview: Spooky Circus Fun vs. Horrifying Haunted Houses

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: You mentioned Halloween haunts. What would you say to someone who’s a Halloween fan, and all they think of when it comes to Halloween is a haunted houses where things jump out and scare them. How would you explain to them the kind of entertainment you’re doing?
FRANCISCO SANTOS: We bring them the spookiness of the season with a different concept without losing what they really like. The proof is that there is a big trade show called Transworld in March. It’s the largest Halloween attraction show, where all the Halloween events – even Halloween Horror Nights – goes there to purchase animatronics and stuff like that. We are the official show; we perform every year. That particular audience is the kind of audience we tailor to. We do bring in other audiences, but we’re focusing on those Goth kids and these people that love Halloween, that breathe Halloween all year long.
We bring in other audiences, but we’re focusing on those Goth kids and these people that love Halloween, that breathe Halloween all year long.
Actually, I own a haunted house in Miami we’re setting up like crazy now before going on tour. It’s called The Horror Land. It’s a small theme park. We build five haunted houses, scare zones; we have a show. It’s pretty fun.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: I’m so sorry you’re not doing one in Los Angeles, too.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: Yeah, but I will go to 17th Door. It’s freaking amazing. I went last year for the first time. It blew my mind. I would like to have a haunt like they do. It’s totally out of this world. They think outside of the box. The layout is not the typical haunted house that you go through in a line. It’s made like a show, because every room you go, there’s an action happening. You are totally immersed in what’s happening instead of just walking through and somebody jumps at you and scares you.
Interview: Circus Art & Entertainment

HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Circus used to be seen as just entertainment, and more recently it’s come to be accepted as something that could be an art form – like something you put in a theater. You’re not in a tent out in a a parking lot.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: In one way that’s what we try to advocate. I’m from Spain, and one of the only countries in the world that circus is not considered a form of art is here in the US, where you have the Greatest Show On Earth – Ringling Brothers has been the greatest show forever. In Spain it’s considered a form of art: in Cuba, Mexico, China and Russia, wherever you name it, it is considered a form of art, and there is grant money and support like theater has, like Broadway has, like dance companies have. Basically, all the circuses in the US, there is zero support for them. There’s a couple of schools that have some support from the college, but it’s still miles away to be considered as a form of art, and it’s not fair.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Definitely not, but I did notice you got a good audience at the Montalbán last year, so apparently a theater audience will come to your show.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: Yeah, there’s many people who have a really big misconception of circus. Elephants and horses – that’s what’s on people’s mind, unfortunately. Many of those people never even went to a circus, so we’re trying to capture those audience into coming to the theatre to see the show.
One of the only countries in the world that circus is not considered a form of art is here in the US…. In Spain it’s considered a form of art: in Cuba, Mexico, China and Russia, wherever you name it, it is considered a form of art, and there is grant money and support like theater has, like Broadway has, like dance companies have.
HOLLYWOOD GOTHIQUE: Regarding circus as an art form, some people in the field have expressed concern that if the circus goes in that direction, it could lose the general audience, but that doesn’t seem to have happened with Vampire Circus. You’re drawing not just people wearing black tie-and-tux but people coming to have a good time with their families.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: That’s the whole point; that’s why we would do it family friendly. We have seven different shows – other shows that focus mainly on family – and that’s the goal: to bring all the family together and not just the family that used to go to the big tops. Also, one of the good things is that there’s many people coming to the show whose parents and grandparents used to take them to the show.
FRANCISCO SANTOS: Basically, just tell everyone to come and enjoy the show. We’re looking forward to being back in LA, and we will have a blast with the new acts and the new performances.
Vampire Circus 2024 Review
Rating Scale
0 – Awful
1 – Poor
2 – Mediocre
3 – Good
4 – Great
5 – Excellent

This Halloween season, The Vampire Circus is haunting Hollywood’s Montalbán theatre with another bewitching brew of ominous atmosphere, amazing acts, and amusing antics. There are new performers doing different routines, but overall, the presentation remains much the same as last year, providing an otherworldly overlay that seems to explain how these talented performers achieve their spellbinding effects.
Vampire Circus Review: What’s New
There are a several new arial acts, including new arialists: some are more robustly athletic; others emphasize artistry and beauty. A contortionist twists and turns in disturbing ways. A strong man balances blades, juggles knives, and then hoists cannonballs like they were candy. An enigmatic beauty spider-walks across the stage as if to do another contortion act, then switches to hula hoops – which sounds disappointing until she adds them in increasing numbers that eventually defy belief.
Perhaps because of the number of performers, the acts seem shorter on average this year. Not cut short but focused on delivering some incredible feat with dramatic visual impact before the lights drop and the show quickly moves on to the next routine, hitting the audience with something new before they can recover from the amazement of what they just witnessed.
There are changes. The undertaker (sort of a secondary clown who appears repeatedly in interstitial segments) has a more thin and cadaverous aspect appropriate to the character; the first to appear on stage, he seems to be playing the opening music on gorgeous organ before segueing into the narration about the fate that befell the traveling circus who dared to pitch camp near Castle Dracula. Later, he returns as a manic vampire hunter, running down the aisle and splashing the audience with holy water before botching an attempt to stake a vampire on stage.
Despite the changes, much is familiar, especially the clown routines linking the circus performances. Audiences who attended last year will recognize the jokes and gags, along with the audience participation segments, but they are still funny (especially the “musical” performance of “Agony,” which lives up to its name). Things are especially fun when the action occasionally spills off the stage and into the aisles, breaking the fourth wall between audience and actors. The vampire drummers are back, but they are fabulous, so no complaint there.
Vampire Circus 2024 Review: Conclusion

We’re giving this year’s presentation of Vampire Circus a four-star rating simply because much of the material is familair from last Halloween. For those who missed that show, the 2024 version of Vampire Circus is a 5-star, must-see event. It is definitely not a scare show, but it is bathed in eerie atmosphere that adds an extra layer of uncanny sensation to its amazing acts. Ultimately, this is a circus attired in vampire apparel, but that costuming makes the performers appear to be supernatural being achieving miracles beyond the abilities of mere mortals.
The Vampire Circus runs at the Montalbán on select nights from September 19 to October 6, with performances starting at 7pm Thursdays & Fridays, 5pm & 8pm on Saturdays, and 2pm & 5pm on Sundays. Tickets start at $39 for balcony seating, with higher prices for mezzanine and orchestra seating and on peak nights. The Montalbán is located at 1615 Vine Street in Hollywood. Get more information here.