Still taking a look at vampires, but now we'll take a look at other vampires besides the good Count. Vampyr funny enough almost became the first sound vampire film, losing out only to the first Dracula. The film itself is almost silent though, given that it was a Franco-German production and released in three languages.
Allan Gray (Julian West) is a young student of the occult. Arriving late in a small French village, Allan is met with hostility from what few villagers he meets. An old man (Maurice Shutz) breaks into Allan's room and tells him "She must not die!" before giving him a small parcel, on it written "to be opened upon my death".
Later, Allan finds himself strolling around the village and sees some of the creepiest things put to film by that point. One shot in particular is a one-legged man's shadow walking around without the man. Fleeing this strange scene, Allan runs to a nearby cemetery. Drawn towards a nearby building by the sounds of children playing and dogs barking, Allan finds only an old man (Jan Hieronimko) who tells him to beat feet. Once Allan leaves, the old fellow heads upstairs to converse with an equally old woman (Henriette Gerad) who is dressed as royalty.
Allan heads out and sees more ownerless shadows. Deciding to follow some, he walks towards a mansion and finds the old man who broke into his room. The man has a family; Leone (Sybille Schmitz) who is afflicted with a strange wasting disease, and her younger sister Giselle (Rena Mandel). Before introductions can go any further the old man is shot dead by the one-legged man (Georges Boidin).
Seeing as the man is clearly dead, Allan figures it's time to open that parcel. The contents are up his alley as it's a book on vampires. A doctor is summoned for Leone (a servant who was sent to fetch help is found dead) and he's the old fellow who was talking to the old woman!
The doctor informs Allan that Leone has lost a great of blood, possibly from what is clearly a rat bite on her neck, and she needs a transfusion. Allan agrees and later night falls asleep in the graveyard. He rises from his body and walks back to the building. There he sees Giselle being tied to a chair in a backroom but in the front room? Himself, laying in a coffin! As the lid is nailed shut and carried off, Allan follows them to the gravesite but rushes back to his body. Walking up, he runs back to the manor. Leone is weaker and Giselle is missing! The only other servant (Albert Bras) has been reading Allan's book and he thinks he knows who's behind everything. So with a sharpened iron bar, the two head back towards the graveyard...
Confusing but the visuals are utterly amazing. Dream-like and subtle in it's terror, but it is a film that requires your attention so that is a small drawback.
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