Uriah43 From what I understand this movie was originally filmed in German, French and English but for some reason the English version was either lost or destroyed. As a result, the movie I watched was in German but had English subtitles. Now normally this wouldn't be an issue but the director (Carl Theodor Dryer) chose a unique film style which incorporated both silent and sound techniques. Flash cards were used on occasion and what dialogue was available was somewhat minimal. Likewise, the film quality was a little blurry in some areas but surprisingly this tended to blend in with the overall plot rather than detract from it as the director made excellent use of shadows to create a dream-like state. Or in this specific case—something resembling a nightmare. Be that as it may, although I am not particularly fond of silent movies, for some odd reason this film proved to be the exception to the rule as it seemed both artistic and surreal. As a result I have rated this movie accordingly. Above average.

Scott LeBrun Julian West plays Allan Grey, a young man with an intense interest in devil worship and the supernatural. His journeys take him to a secluded inn, and subsequently, an estate where the family in residence is falling prey to vampirism.Adapted from Sheridan Le Fanus' enduring story, which has helped to inspire many other film adaptations over the years, this is striking in a quiet but genuinely eerie way. It plays like somebody's nightmares captured on film. As co-scripted and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, it's done in the best tradition of silent film, with the occasional bits of spoken dialogue mouthed in different languages by the actors and then dubbed by speakers of those languages.What Dreyer chooses to do is to tell his story not with words so much but with images, and he creates some very stark and wonderfully chilling visuals. His use of camera angles, light, and shadow are exemplary - that scene with the solder is a prime example. The 1930s era special effects are also quite good. Cinematographer (and future director) Rudolph Mate does a particularly fine job crafting the look of the film.Although the cast is largely made up by non-professional actors and actresses, they're still compelling to watch. Jan Hieronimko as the village doctor is especially fascinating with that amazing face of his. Exposition is conveyed by having characters read from old books, with the text shown on screen.Overall, a haunting and stimulating experience that's sure to be appreciated by lovers of classic black & white horror.Eight out of 10.

Hunter Jelf Allan Gray is a young traveler obsessed with studying the occult and vampires. During his travels he comes to an small inn in the village of Courtempierre and stays for the night. During the night he is visited by a mysterious man who talks of a young dying woman and leaves Gray a package saying that it should "be opened in the event of my death". Gray, feeling a foreboding doom, heads out and finds himself amongst the horrors of the supernatural. So sets up Carl Theodore Dryer's 1932 horror film, "Vampyr". "Vampyr" is a hard film to talk about because of how strange it is. After I saw it for the first time I was completely baffled. I didn't know what to make of it and I couldn't make sense of what I had just seen. In structure, it is a very unorthodox movie. Shot and edited together in a very bizarre manner. The story is told in a linear fashion but the viewer is required to fend for themselves for much of it. Bridging shots and connecting sequences are almost entirely absent, much of what hear occurs off-screen, and what we do get to see is almost always unexplained. It makes for a really bizarre viewing experience. Despite that, the movie never feels disjointed, it has its own flow that feels as natural to the story as it is unorthodox.What this bizarre flow does for the film is it gives one of the creepiest and chilling horror films from the era. The way the story is told is like that of a nightmare. Nothing is ever certain, shadows bend and play at their will, backgrounds ever so subtly seem to twist and contort, and the evil waits and festers out of sight, but not out of mind. This can be attributed to the film's aesthetic design. Much of the film was shoot on overexposed stock so it has a washed out soft look making it seem as though it is a nightmare. The effects with shadows moving with no physical bodies are some of the finest and most chilling effects from any horror film. Much should be given to the sound design for helping make this movie as creepy as it is. The film was made in 1931, released in '32, so it was a very early talkie. Unlike many films from that period, "Vampyr", features almost no dialogue and makes itself look like the silent horror films. Most of the sound is in the film's score and sound effects, most of which are distorted or off-screen. The score in particular is very good and creepy. It's nice to have when considering many early talkies like the 1931 "Dracula" really didn't have a score. It has an unconventional sound and is major player in the film's nightmarish tone and keeping the story from feeling disjointed. Dialogue is held to a hardcore minimum, shows up very rarely and not for very long. Again, like silent films information is given via inter-titles or as it is later in the film, from the pages of a book.Some people may be turned off by the acting in the film. Most of the stars were not professional actors and some, including lead actor Julian West, only have "Vampyr" to their credit. West spends most of this film in an almost emotionless apathetic state to what is going on. Everyone else puts on more emoted performances but they're subdued and it makes the characters seem more like the vignettes of a nightmare than actual people. Dryer makes good use of it though. The skewered perspectives and strange compositions make the acting effective and additive to the movie's horror."Vampyr" is, at the end of the day, a very creepy and bizarre experience. You should totally watch it now. Do not miss this under-appreciated classic, especially if you are a fan of horror from the 1920s and 30s. Alternate recommendations include F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" from 1922 and Tod Browning's "Dracula" from 1931. Both are great vampire movies from the same time period and serve as good entry points into the world of 20s and 30s horror.

LeonLouisRicci A movie with no where near the sophistication of the Director's Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), this one seems almost a side-effort with little scope. It is though he could have made this with his eyes shut. Maybe that is where the dreamlike quality came from.A partially successful film that suffers from a reticent to be really powerful. The imagery is surreal, but surprisingly slim and the claustrophobic sets and cramming the frame for effect wears thin after a while. When it does cut to an expansive shot it is a relief. If that be the desired effect it is only partially successful.The playful, yet ominous shadow work is impressive and some of the camera tricks are nice but can't make the experience more than a glancing effort when it should have been an absorbing and frightening experience. The movie just seems that it is dying to be let out of its coffin-like restraint. A minimalist effort that succeeds in that respect, but one can not but sense that there was more there than meets the eye and that leaves the viewer with a hunger. So for that, it just feels like an appetizer before a feast that is never served.