Overview
A chilling tale of darkness and the supernatural unfolds in a remote village.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- dreamy
- austere
- late night horror viewing
- classic film marathon
What critics said
Modern critics broadly regard Dreyer's film as a visually radical, disorienting, and conceptually unsettling landmark of vampire horror, despite its deliberately slow and ambiguous narrative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Allan Gray moves through disorienting shadows, uncanny encounters, and ambiguous supernatural events that resemble an extended nightmare.
Eerie shadows guide Gray toward the old house, while shadowy figures and unusual perspectives repeatedly destabilize the image.
Léone's illness, the vampire's grave, poison, and the destruction of the undead Marguerite Chopin make mortality the story's dominant concern.
The action unfolds around a secluded riverside inn, an old castle, a cemetery, and a remote hamlet cut off from ordinary society.
Films like Vampyr, and why
Nosferatu
shared early vampire horror, expressionist atmosphere, and uncanny visual design
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
shared dreamlike horror, gothic setting, and psychologically disorienting imagery
The Innocents
shared slow-burn supernatural dread, ambiguous narrative, and haunting black-and-white cinematography
Movie Details
- Director
- Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Release Date
- 1932-05-06
- Runtime
- 74 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (615)
Cast
- Nicolas de Gunzburg
- Maurice Schutz
- Rena Mandel
- Sybille Schmitz
- Jan Hieronimko
- Henriette Gérard
- Albert Bras
- N. Babanini
- Jane Mora
- Georges Boidin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Chilling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Vampyr about?
- A wandering dreamer confronts a vampire curse in a remote village rendered as an uncanny black-and-white nightmare.
- What is Vampyr like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Vampyr as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Vampyr violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Vampyr as mild.
- What did critics think of Vampyr?
- Modern critics broadly regard Dreyer's film as a visually radical, disorienting, and conceptually unsettling landmark of vampire horror, despite its deliberately slow and ambiguous narrative.
- Which films are like Vampyr?
- Films with a similar feel include Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and The Innocents.
- How long is Vampyr?
- Vampyr runs 74 minutes.
- Where can I watch Vampyr?
- In United States, Vampyr streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Chilling.
