Looking to take on a more commercial project after the lackluster box office of the critically acclaimed The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), writer/director Carl Theodore Dreyer decided that a horror movie was the way to go. Loosely adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's story collection 'In a Glass Darkly', Vampyr was filmed on location in the French countryside with a cast primarily composed of non-actors. Its shoestring budget forced the filmmakers to rely on symbolic imagery and allusive atmospherics rather than spectacular effects work. Vampyr was released to a severe critical drubbing and an actively hostile audience (a riot broke out in Vienna when dissatisfied theater patrons were denied a refund). However, Vampyr was reappraised decades later and is now considered an intriguing example of how artists of the silent era approached the advent of talkies. Ryan is joined by Sarah and Cheryl for a close look at this evocative cult film. Discussion points include Vampyr's debt to German Expressionism, its key place in the evolution of the cinematic vampire, and the religious subtext of its storytelling. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ryan-valentine3/support