The fact that I was never entirely sure exactly what was going on just added to the sense of unease hanging over this film. All in all an unsettling and worthwhile experience.

It's a sound film but is filmed like a silent: lots of characters reading books in order to impart the lore we need, along with fantastic, moody, dialogue-free scenes throughout. This is all atmosphere and not a lot of story, but the atmosphere is genuinely creepy in a way I was not expecting. Dreyer continues to impress me with fluid camerawork and a point of view in his mise en scene that is really gripping.

Vampyr (1932) is a German gothic horror movie that was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer.

[spoiler] It tells the story of Allan Gray, a man who takes up lodgings in a small inn in the village of Courtempierre. Gray has a particular interest in the supernatural. Shortly after arriving at the inn, he starts to feel uneasy as if a sinister force is descending upon him. In the middle of the night he is suddenly awoken by an old man who tells him ‘she must not die.’ The mans daughter, Leone, has been bitten by a vampire and in order to break the curse, Gray and Leone’s sister, Gisele must find the sire vampire and drive a stake through its heart. [/spoiler]

The atmosphere of Vampyr, partnered with its visual effects, make it one of the creepier horror movies from the 1930’s that I have personally seen. With minimal dialogue, the tone of this movie stayed extremely intense for almost the entirety of its runtime.

I would recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys gothic horror or creepy, dark movies.

Am I the only person that thinks the main character resembles H.P. Lovecraft?

Rare and expressionistic film about vampires. That use of travelings and shadows

Now this is a weird film. It's an early talking film but there is so little dialogue it feels more like a silent one. I honestly don't know what went on as far as the story goes. It seems like it follows the basic vampire lore but is very unique in the way that it looks. It's imagery is genuine creepy. I tend to over use that word but this film earns that description.

Watching this an experience because the visuals are so amazing. It practically smells dingy and musty. The camera pans into every grimy corner and over every dirty tabletop. The paint is peeling off of walls and cracked plaster litters floors. Shelves that hold old books and broken skulls add to the imagery. The camera glides around rooms and down hallways. There are ghostly figures that dance around for what appears to be no reason and shadows that travel on their own are disconnected from their hosts. The whole thing is other-worldy.

"Vampyr" is unique in every way, set apart by its crazy visual style. Unfortunately, I have to knock it down a couple of notches because it's tough to make much sense of the story.