Written by: Sheridan Le Fanu (based on a book by), Christen Jul and Carl Theodor Dreyer (screenplay)
Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
Rated:--
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous TV reviews!
Plot
A man intrigued by the occult stumbles upon a nearby house where a girl is turning into a vampire.
Verdict
This is a mostly silent movie. As an example of early horror it's great, though it has certainly been surpassed. Despite the age it excels at creating a mood.
It depends.
Review
This is understandably a classic, but now it's lauded not for what it does compared to modern horror but for what it did at the time. It's a groundbreaking movie, but it's a film history class movie. It's going to feel dated, though it does often feel like a horror movie.
While it's not a silent film, the dialog is sparse and it uses title cards to forward the plot. Later a book on Vampyrs provides information on the creatures that suck your blood. Edits often cut to pages in the book. In a modern movie the bulk of this plot would serve as the introduction.
It explores psychological horror as drifter Allan stops at a hotel and receives a mysterious package with instruction not to be opened until the sender is dead. He follows an old man and discovers a sick girl, bitten by a Vampyr.
I hate to discount this, but it's outdated despite it's contributions to the genre.
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