Vampyr

AKA's:

Adventures Of David Gray, The / Bruja Vampiro, El / Castle Of Doom / Etrange Aventure De David Gray, L' / Not Against The Flesh / Strange Adventure Of David Gray, The / Traum Des Allan Grey, Der / Vampire, The / Vampiro, O / Vampyr - Il Vampiro

Release date:

1932 France/Germany

Running time:

72' (cover 72') - Source: DVD (RC 1/NTSC) b/w

Rating:

Germ.: NR; UK: PG; US: NR

Main Crew:

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer (Gertrud 1964; The Passion Of Joan Of Arc 1928; The
Bride Of Glomdal 1926; Leaves From Satan's Book 1921)
Producer: Gloria Film
Score: Wolfgang Zeller
Writer: Christen Jul / Carl Theodor Dreyer (based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novel "In A
Glass Darkly")
Director of photography: Rudolph Mate / Louis Nee

Cast:

Summary:

Freely adapted from classic Victorian supernatural tale by author Sheridan Le Fanu, "Vampyr" tells the story of a young man (Julian West) who becomes involved with two sisters, one of whom, wasting away with a strange sickness, turns out to be the victim of a vampire.
In "Vampyr" Dreyer has transformed Le Fanu's horror tales into a mystic quest, a meditation on the theme of death, and neatly fashioned it as an abstract experimental film. The camera is like a sleepwalker, leading us, trancelike, into a labyrinth from which cause and effect have disappeared. The hauntingly sinister atmosphere created is disquieting and unforgettable.

Note:

- "Vampyr" was originally shot as a silent. It was only later half-dubbed with voice-overs.
- The film was shot on location in and around a Paris castle.
- The gray and fuzzy photography is the result of an accidental light leak in the camera and it gave the director the idea to shoot the full-length that way.

click here for filmstills (pictures from the movie)

Our Ranking

short review:

"Vampyr" is a surreal and creepy movie that unfolds in a strange dream-like state, which is dominated by an overwhelming sense of dread, and hard to describe. The plot is minimal; light, shadow and camera angles are the main thing here! The story pace is slow and can be quite hard to follow, but the surreal hazy perpetual dawn look creates a greater feeling of alienation. "Vampyr" is a masterpiece of style and atmosphere and highly recommended for every silent movie buff (though it is not a silent movie!).