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About this movie

Genres:
Classics, Foreign Film, Horror
Language:
English
Running time:
1:12:52
Partner rating:
PG-13
Released:
Quality:
480 (DVD equivalent)

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Julian West David Gray
  2. Maurice Schutz Lord of the Manor
  3. Jan Hieronimko Doctor
  4. Sybille Schmitz His Daughter Leone
  5. Rena Mandel His Daughter Gisele
  6. Henriette Gerard Old Woman at Cemetery
  7. N. Babanini His Wife
  8. Albert Bras Servant
  9. Baron Nicolas de Gunzberg David Gray

Directors

  1. Carl Theodor Dreyer

Producers

  1. Baron Nicolas de Gunzberg
  2. Julian West
  3. 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

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

100%Tomatometer score: 100% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    J. Hoberman, Village Voice Vampyr is Dreyer's most radical film -- maybe one of my dozen favorite movies by any director. Full review External link
  2. Positive 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 External link
  3. Positive 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 External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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