Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932)

Vampyr is an early surreal horror-film by Dreyer. It's a particularly hypnotic film which borders on the real and imaginary, and the viewer is left with many riddles. This is achieved by some interesting cinematography and very peculiar camera-angles. The pace of the film is also relentless and leaves you in a state of always not quite knowing what's really happening and what is a dream. This gives the film a otherworldly quality that you rarely see in cinema, perhaps the best other example is Ugetsu Monogatari by Mizoguchi, which leans on some of the same quality. The film also, like many other of the 30's, have many traces of old silent-film techniques, mixed with overdubbed dialogue and sound effects. This also contributes to the films mythic quality.




The most interesting and unnerving part of the film is the sometimes skewed camera-angles that are very unique to this film and used to great effect, although they have somewhat become a cliché. Dreyer's unrelenting camera follows the action from a viewpoint that we quite can't trust, something always seems to be wrong or out of place, we are often asked the question what is reality and what is not. A particular scene which is phenomenal is when the lead-character explores the surrounding area and see several shadows dancing. These kind of scenes creates a feeling that a ghost world is always present, and makes the dangers linger in our mind throughout the film.




Some scenes seem to lead nowhere and serve no plot purposes. However, they do serve to create the atmosphere of the film, and further dazzles the audience. We are at the beginning informed that the lead character may fantasize about the presence of ghosts and vampires, so when the threat really do seem to arrive we are even then never sure of it. Was this film all a fantasy, or a mix of reality and a dream world? It's quite a fascinating picture, that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in such films that offers a startling kick to the senses. It's also a good look at the transition Dreyer made between silent and sound.