RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Vampyr
Vampyr

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Vampyr (1931)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
100 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:23

Fresh:23

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.6/10

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

Runtime: 81 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: A young man stops at an inn, and discovers the village is rife with strange goings-on... murders, sudden illnesses, and weird skulking creatures. Then a doctor asks him to help a desperately sick... A young man stops at an inn, and discovers the village is rife with strange goings-on... murders, sudden illnesses, and weird skulking creatures. Then a doctor asks him to help a desperately sick girl by donating blood, and before long, the weakened wayfarer is lost in hallucinations, imagining himself buried alive... or could it be real? [More]

Starring: Julian West, Sybille Schmitz, Maurice Schutz, Jan Hieronimko

Starring: Julian West, Sybille Schmitz, Maurice Schutz, Jan Hieronimko, Rena Mandel, Henriette Gerard, Albert Bras, N. Babanini, Jan Mora

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jul 21, 1998

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Freely adapted from classic Victorian supernatural tales by author Sheridan Le Fanu, "Vampyr" tells the story of a young man who becomes involved with two sisters, one of whom, wasting away with a strange sickness, turns out to be the victim of a vampire. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer transformed Le Fanu's horror tales into a mystic quest, a meditation on the theme of death, and neatly fashioned it as an abstract experimental film. The camera is like a sleepwalker, leading us, trancelike, into a labyrinth from which cause and effect have disappeared. The hauntingly sinister atmosphere created is disquieting and unforgettable.
  • Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Vampyr

    • T-Meter Critics
    • Top Critics
    • RT Community
    • My Critics
    • My Friends
    • DVD
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     

    Vampyr might not be much of a vampire movie, but it's one hell of a horror movie. It creates a sense of unease that few films can compete with, casting viewers into a realm where meanings are elusive and terror lies in every shadow.

    Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
    07/23/09
    Jeremy Heilman
    Jeremy Heilman
    MovieMartyr.com

    Almost entirely devoid of the outright thrills associated with the genre, while managing to be one of the creepiest, most unsettling movies you're ever likely to see.

    Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
    09/24/08
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    Vampyr is Dreyer's most radical film -- maybe one of my dozen favorite movies by any director.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    08/28/08
    J. Hoberman
    J. Hoberman
    Village Voice
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Vampyr plays like a musty old photo that wakes to jolting life.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    08/26/08
    Matthew Sorrento
    Matthew Sorrento
    Film Threat

    In a triumph of the irrational, Dreyer's eerie memento mori never allows either protagonist or viewer fully to wake up from its surreal nightmare.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    08/19/08
    Anton Bitel
    Anton Bitel
    Channel 4 Film

    The notion of cinema as dreamscape has rarely been realized as exquisitely as in Danish writer-director Carl Theodor Dreyer's moody vampire tale.

    Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
    08/06/08
    Matt Brunson
    Matt Brunson
    Creative Loafing

    remarkable for the way that it explored the occult some 76 years ago.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    07/30/08
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    Tremendously eerie, even more than 75 years later.

    Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
    07/28/08
    Tim Brayton
    Tim Brayton
    Antagony & Ecstasy

    An early sound film shot with a distinctive and evocative silent film aesthetic, Vampyr is a horror movie as tone poem.

    Full Review Source: Seanax.com | comment Comment
    07/22/08
    Sean Axmaker
    Sean Axmaker
    Seanax.com

    If you've never seen a Carl Dreyer film and wonder why many critics, myself included, regard him as possibly the greatest of all filmmakers, this chilling horror fantasy is the perfect place to begin to understand.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    09/19/07
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Penetrates deep into the psyche to carry out its menacing, ethereal lurk.

    Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
    07/04/07
    Rob Humanick
    Rob Humanick
    Projection Booth

    With the help of Rudolph Maté's luminous photography, Dreyer creates a film of great beauty.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    01/26/06
    Time Out

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/19/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Vampyr plays upon many archetypal fears of modern horror (science, doctors, disease, women, insanity, premature burial), but its power lies in its disorienting visual effects.

    Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
    11/01/04
    Leo Goldsmith
    Leo Goldsmith
    Not Coming to a Theater Near You

    Sublimely creepy, and a surrealist surprise from this usually ascetic director.

    comment Comment
    08/13/04
    Nick Davis
    Nick Davis
    Nick's Flick Picks

    Carl Dreyer’s horror film is one of the most perfect examples of German Stimmung——mood——in the cinema.

    Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
    02/24/04
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/23/04
    Carol Cling
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/11/03
    Mike McGranaghan
    Mike McGranaghan
    Aisle Seat

    This psychological horror tale, one of the first of its kind, is both unique and beautifully luminous.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    11/26/01
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Dreyer's stunning vampire classic.

    Full Review Source: Wired | comment Comment
    09/07/01
    Phil Hall
    Phil Hall
    Wired
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
    Text View | 1 2 >> >|
    See All

    More DVDs

    Close
    Top Rentals
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    15% 15% The Ugly Truth
    98% 98% Up
    36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
    52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
    45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

    More Rentals…

    New On DVD This Week
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    36% 36% Angels & Demons
    68% 68% Funny People
    25% 25% Four Christmases
    45% 45% Shorts

    More New Releases…

    See All

    RT On Current TV

    The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

    DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

    Learn how you can be part of the show

    More...

    What’s Hot On RT

    Avatar

    Avatar

    Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

    Box Office

    Box Office

    New Moon #1, breaks TDK records

    RT's Gift Guide

    RT's Gift Guide

    Give the best movies, gear, and more!

    Ninja Assassin

    Ninja Assassin

    Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

    Other News

    Close
    • Top Stories
    • Popular
    • Interviews
     
     

    Comments

     
     
    Top Stories
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
    9
    • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
    1
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    106
    • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
    112
    • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
    32
    • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
    64
    • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
    20
    • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
    26
    • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
    51
    • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
    204
    Popular
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
    162
    • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
    129
    • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
    97
    • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
    75
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    53
    • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
    50
    • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
    38
    • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
    32
    • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
    13
    • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
    3
    Interviews
    Headlines Comments
      
    • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
    3
    • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
    8
    • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
    19
    • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
    6
    • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
    15
    • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
    17
    • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
    8
    • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
    28
    • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
    28
    • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
    14
     
     

    Sponsored Links

    Around The Network

    • Vampyr at Rotten Tomatoes

    Fresh Links

    Featured
    Star Trek DVD Exclusive
    Star Trek DVD Exclusive External Link

    TECHLAND gives us a first look at the extras, including Leonard Nimoy's last day on set!

    The New Cult Canon
    The New Cult Canon External Link

    AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

    New Moon Portraits
    New Moon Portraits External Link

    TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

    Unsexiest Men Alive
    Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

    Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

    Promos
    Follow RT on Twitter
    Follow RT on Twitter External Link

    Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.