Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Vampyr

Play trailer Poster for Vampyr 1932 1h 6m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After Allan Gray rents a room near Courtempierre in France, strange events unfold: An elderly man leaves a packet on Gray's table, and shadows that are seemingly alive lead him toward a castle. At a nearby manor, he witnesses the same man being murdered and gradually learns about the curse of the Vampyr. As Gray faces the horrors of the castle, he attempts to save the victim's daughters -- one of whom, Léone, has fallen ill after mysteriously being bitten.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Vampyr

Vampyr

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Full of disorienting visual effects, Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr is as theoretically unsettling as it is conceptually disturbing.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) May 20, 2022
4/5
The actual vampire, an elderly woman (Henriette Gérard), is the least interesting part of the film. Which is very European. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian May 17, 2022
5/5
Vampyr asks: what is it like to be dead? And answers: indistinguishable from being alive. This film is a unique experience. Go to Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker Oct 30, 2020
"Vampyr" is perhaps the most effective and most radical Surrealist movie ever made. Go to Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel Oct 30, 2025
3.5/5
Dreyer never tried to articulate anyone's vision but his own, and his moody horror movie confounded the expectations of audiences that had recently made Dracula (1931) a monster hit. Go to Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Nov 21, 2024
3/4
... turns on a fear of mortality — or worse, being stuck in some in-between place. Go to Full Review Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana The Geek Show (UK) Jul 9, 2024
Vampyr is an experimental film, being less of a straightforward story and more of a display of Dreyer’s filmmaking prowess. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Joel H @786Joel Oct 11, 2026 When it comes to creating a spooky atmosphere and offering some pretty impressive visual effects for 1932, Vampyr excels. However, when it comes to presenting a comprehensible plot and clearly distinguishable characters, this film comes up short. I kept wondering if it was just my brain that wasn’t able to figure out what was going on, at times, but it seems audiences of that time agreed with me. Carl Theodor Dreyer is a talented director, but this film seems to sacrifice story to create art. There were a few creepy visuals that will stick with me, but I don’t think I’ll choose to watch Vampyr again. See more Alexander G @agregory Jul 3, 2026 I’m a sucker for soft focus and general visual obscurity, so despite the slow-moving, desert-of-action nature of the film I really like it. The original score by Zeller is beautiful and fitting. See more Melissa L @Agent99 Jun 25, 2026 I recommend it...especially for those who are students of early film. Make sure to watch it on a medium that supports subtitles. See more Garry A @heavyg May 25, 2026 I was a little confused about who was alive and who was dead. But, for a film with very little dialogue, I thought it was pretty good. I really enjoy the use of shadows an skeletons to create an eriee environment. See more Brant F. @destroyfascism Apr 8, 2026 You are inside an environment you cannot map, governed by forces you cannot access. If Kafka had made a horror film instead of writing novels, it might have looked a lot like this, just with a few more forms to fill out before the dread kicks in. Beautifully done, an art piece for the ages. You could pull almost any frame at random and it would make a perfect power electronics LP cover. See more Madde G. @MaddeG88 Nov 1, 2025 It was much better the second time I watched it, but still confusing. See more Read all reviews
Vampyr

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Director

Julian West

Allan Gray

Henriette Gérard

The Woman from the Cemetery

Jan Hieronimko

Village Doctor

Maurice Schutz

Lord of the Manor

Rena Mandel

Gisèle

More Like This

View All
Murders in the Rue Morgue 79% 48% Murders in the Rue Morgue Watchlist Doctor X 83% 50% Doctor X Watchlist The Most Dangerous Game 100% 73% The Most Dangerous Game Watchlist Dracula 96% 82% Dracula Watchlist The Vampire Bat 67% 27% The Vampire Bat Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Vampyr

Vampyr (1932) Vampyr (1932) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After Allan Gray rents a room near Courtempierre in France, strange events unfold: An elderly man leaves a packet on Gray's table, and shadows that are seemingly alive lead him toward a castle. At a nearby manor, he witnesses the same man being murdered and gradually learns about the curse of the Vampyr. As Gray faces the horrors of the castle, he attempts to save the victim's daughters -- one of whom, Léone, has fallen ill after mysteriously being bitten.
Director
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Producer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Julian West
Screenwriter
Sheridan Le Fanu, Christen Jul, Carl Theodor Dreyer
Distributor
General Foreign Sales Corp., Kino Video, Video Yesteryear, Sinister Cinema, Something Weird Video, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Tobis Filmkunst
Genre
Horror
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
May 6, 1932, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 20, 2017
Runtime
1h 6m
Sound Mix
Mono
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings