About this movie
- Genres:
- Classics, Foreign Film, Horror
- Language:
- English
- Running time:
- 1:12:52
- Partner rating:
- Released:
- 1931
- Quality:
- 480 (DVD equivalent)
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Julian West David Gray
- Maurice Schutz Lord of the Manor
- Jan Hieronimko Doctor
- Sybille Schmitz His Daughter Leone
- Rena Mandel His Daughter Gisele
- Henriette Gerard Old Woman at Cemetery
- N. Babanini His Wife
- Albert Bras Servant
- Baron Nicolas de Gunzberg David Gray
Directors
- Carl Theodor Dreyer
Producers
- Baron Nicolas de Gunzberg
- Julian West
- Carl Theodor Dreyer
Vampyr
Vampyr ranks in many circles as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, the story concerns a mysterious series of killings, committed by a crone of a female vampire (Henriette Gerard). The story is told through the eyes of a holiday reveller (Julian West), who at first scoffs at the notion of a supernatural murderer, but who is eventually forced to believe that there are more things in heaven and earth. Dreyer offers few explanations of the phenomena he presents on screen: the strange and frightening happenings just happen, as casually as any everyday occurrence. As was his custom, Dreyer mostly uses nonprofessionals in his cast. Vampyr is available in a wide variety of severely edited and duped versions.
Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes
100%
percent positive reviews
-
J. Hoberman, Village VoiceVampyr is Dreyer's most radical film -- maybe one of my dozen favorite movies by any director.
– Full review
-
Anton Bitel, Film4
In a triumph of the irrational, Dreyer's eerie memento mori never allows either protagonist or viewer fully to wake up from its surreal nightmare.
– Full review
-
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
If you've never seen a Carl Dreyer film and wonder why many critics, myself included, regard him as possibly the greatest of all filmmakers, this chilling horror fantasy is the perfect place to begin to understand.
– Full review
You might also like...
-
Nosferatu
1:24:20 1922F. W. Murnau's landmark vampire film Nosferatu isn't merely a variation on Bram Stoker's Dracula: it's a direct steal, so much so that Stoker's widow went to court, demanding in vain that the Murnau film be suppressed and destroyed. The character names have been changed to protect the guilty (in the original German prints, at least), but devotee...
98%
Free
-
American Scary
1:31:27 2007Take a trip back to a time when late night creature features were all the rage, and the personalities that presented them were nearly as popular as the movies, in this documentary about the uniquely American phenomenon of television horror hosting. Beginning in the 1950s, the horror host was a staple of regional television. From ghouls to vampir...
-
Holiday Classics: The Blessed Midnight / The Gift
50:37 1956Originally produced as televised dramas in the 1950s, these two seasonal classics are presented together for adults and kids alike to enjoy during the holiday season. In "The Blessed Midnight," a boy (Danny Richards Jr.) steals a cake as a Christmas gift for his aunt (Virginia Gregg). In "The Gift," Carl Baxter (Charles Boyer) learns how to embr...
-
The Miracle on 34th Street
46:01 1955The holiday spirit is alive and well in this televised take on the 1947 film that earned Edmund Gwenn an Oscar for his portrayal of Kris Kringle. In this version, Thomas Mitchell dons Santa's suit to play a man who could be capable of miracles. Sandy Descher stars as the little girl who hangs on to her skepticism, with Teresa Wright co-starring ...
-
Holiday Favorites: Vol. 5
53:46 1954Six heartwarming featurettes are included in this volume of holiday favorites ideal for the entire family to enjoy together, including a unique, black-and-white interpretation of Hans Christian Anderson's charming "The Little Match Girl." Other titles in this collection include "The Music Album," "Christmas Carols," "A Collection of Carols," "Sa...
-
Holiday Classics: A Tale of Two Christmases / The Answer
51:24 1952Two films originally produced for TV in the 1950s offer slightly offbeat perspectives on the meaning of Christmas. In "A Tale of Two Christmases," Jerry Farrell (Richard McMurray) has to accept that his bad behavior has torn his family apart, and fix it. In "The Answer," a depressed Hollywood writer (Anthony Caruso) returns to his uncle's neighb...
Staff Picks
-
The People Vs. George Lucas
You'd be hard-pressed to find a filmmaker as loved and as hated as George Lucas. As the creator of the Star Wars franchise, Lucas created three of the most p...
The People Vs. George Lucas
1:32:28 2010You'd be hard-pressed to find a filmmaker as loved and as hated as George Lucas. As the creator of the Star Wars franchise, Lucas created three of the most popular and profitable films of all time and a generation of film buffs grew up on his sweeping tales of sci-fi adventure. However, when Lucas re-edited Stars Wars, The Empire Strikes Back an...
-
A Galaxy Far Far Away
No other series of films has achieved greater commercial success, or captured the attention of as many viewers, as Star Wars, its two sequels, and the contin...
A Galaxy Far Far Away
1:03:57 2001No other series of films has achieved greater commercial success, or captured the attention of as many viewers, as Star Wars, its two sequels, and the continuing series of prequels. Filmmaker Tariq Jalil had long been fascinated by the passionate following the films inspired, and when the publicity machine began rolling for the release of Star W...
-
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family
Adapted from the multi-talented playwright/filmmaker's hit stage play of the same name, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family finds the cantankerous family ...
Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family
1:46:17 2011Adapted from the multi-talented playwright/filmmaker's hit stage play of the same name, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family finds the cantankerous family matriarch using her unique brand of tough love to help her family weather some particularly rough waters. Madea's niece Shirley has received a frightening medical diagnosis, and she's having...
Tyler Perry, Shad "Bow Wow" Moss, Loretta Devine, Cassi Davis, Lauren London,...
39%
$3.99