Vampyr

"The strange adventure of Allan Gray."

1932 1h 14m DE

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

98%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 617🍅98%Rotten Tomatoes★7.4IMDB · 23,075

HorrorFantasyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Allan Gray, a young man fascinated by the supernatural, goes to a small village where he feels a sinister force descending upon him. There, Allan meets an old man who asks him to protect his two daughters, for one of them has been bitten by a vampire.

“The strange adventure of Allan Gray.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Nicolas de Gunzburg
Allan Grey
Maurice Schutz
The Lord of the Manor
Rena Mandel
Giséle
Sybille Schmitz
Léone
Jan Hieronimko
The Village Doctor
Henriette Gérard
The Old Woman from the Cemetery
Albert Bras
The Old Servant
N. Babanini
The Old Servant's Wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writers: Christen Jul, Carl Theodor Dreyer
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, shot by Louis Née. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wolfgang Zeller. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tonka Taldy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicolas de Gunzburg and Maurice Schutz and Rena Mandel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Carl Theodor Dreyer directs. Louis Née behind the camera. Wolfgang Zeller scores. Tonka Taldy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
294 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, shot by Louis Née. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Wolfgang Zeller. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tonka Taldy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Nicolas de Gunzburg and Maurice Schutz and Rena Mandel carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The strange adventure of Allan Gray.".
10IMDB entry: tt0023649 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "dreams", "based on novel or book", "vampire", "grave".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Louis Née
Original score: Wolfgang Zeller
Editing: Tonka Taldy
Sound: Hans Bittman
Runtime: 74 min · 1h 14m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $19
Original language: DE
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Vampyr (1932)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 23,075 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 win total

Also by

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 7/10
This is the ultimate slow burn, but boy is it worth it... Julian West (aka Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg) is "Allan Gray" - a wandering soul who arrives at a secluded inn in a tiny hamlet. When an old man enters him room muttering about a woman's impending death and leaves him a book, our hero goes exploring and finds himself at an eerie old house where he discovers all sorts of creepy - vampiric - goings on; and the race is on the identify and destroy the creature before it's curse wreaks havoc. It is by no means akin the modern day representation of the vampire; the story is depicted using hues and shadows - light (or lack of it) is enormously important to this; the "shadow" effects are also magnificently sinister and ghostly. The narrative itself is not the greatest, the story jerks about a bit, but that doesn't really matter - it's an adapted take on a well hewn story and Theyer's focus on developing a sense of menace and tension more than compensates. Jan Hieronimko stands out at the poison-dispensing local quack as does Sybille Schmitz as "Léone" (interestingly, neither professional actors) in what is a beautifully evocative, scary telling of Le Fanu's book beautifully augmented by a sophisticated Wolfang Zeller piano accompaniment.
David Navratil2023-01-08
★ 8/10
I'm been trying to add more awarded/famous movies to my nightly watching! I searched Google for famous Horror movies and "Vampyr" showed up on many of the lists. There is very little dialog and may almost be considered a silent movie. Mostly takes place in an old Danish inn. No spoilers here, but if you are a fan of Horror Classics this movie should be on your list!! David N.