Based on a collection of short stories by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, "Vampyr" (Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey) is an early Experimental approach on the vampire onscreen. An effeminate geek finds himself in a decrepit lodging. Coming across strange, bizarre, even grotesque characters he seeks to find the meaning behind the puzzling situation and comes across discoveries that are surreal as they are otherworldly. Lauded director Carl Theodor Dreyer uses mostly silence and a slow, languid pace to convey the eerie and unsettling vibe and atmosphere of the story. Unfortunately the glacial motion highlights the weakness of the film with the overall tedious effect. While the acting is fine and to Dreyer's credit as most of the actors were non-actors the cheap set and amateurish handling of the story and film make this a slow burner of the snooze-inducing kind. While watchable this is one of those clunkers enshrined by posterity and the audiences who first viewed this back in '32 got it right. For hardcore film fans and historians only.
Review of Vampyr
