twist of fait accomplis

Vampyr, 1932
Director: Carl Dreyer
Availability: Medium (available on DVD from Image, but apparently a gorgeous remastered version is in the works by Criterion that might be worth waiting for)

I won't proclaim to be very knowledgable about silent films, even silent horror. I've only seen a few in my time, and while I've liked what I've seen, I won't try to fake being a movie snob (this time).

That said, when I saw Vampyr in an International Film class in college, I was mighty enthralled. Even with the scratchy transfer, the photography was gorgeous and some neat cinematic tricks were employed, namely the "backwards digging" scene. It gave me chills when I saw it, much like Mario Bava's ultra-cool aging trick in I Vampiri. Fans of creepy imagery won't want to pass this one up.

In Vampyr, a man is haunted during a stay at a hotel in a strange village by visions in the shadows of spirits and ghouls. Dreyer's vision of horror in 1932 is much like much of the visual horror we have become accustomed to 70 years later. Though you won't see many severed limbs or buckets of blood, you will be creeped out by the famous coffin shot and impressed by the well-constructed tracking shots.

If silent movies are your bag (or you're willing to give them a shot), Vampyr should not be missed. It laid the groundwork for an entire genre and set a bar that some directors still can't reach.