Vampir (2021) User Reviews

soulless

[avalanche_master · 4/10 · 22 January 2023]

A very promising film with great locations, and a decent story.

However the camerawork is shaky at best, and except for one or two acceptable locations it never shines or manages to pull off anything remotely scary.

Most of the scenes are shot in the daylight which does confuse the overall nature and intent of the film.

There are a plethora of vampire films out there to choose from, but this fails in almost every department which is a real shame.

The main characters performance is so wooden he could've staked the entire village in one sentence.

A shame really as this could've been something special.

The vamp wasn't vamping

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 4/10 · 2 August 2023]

This film has some really interesting and promising aspects to it but unfortunately fell just below average for me.

This one was a slow one guys... and I mean slow. Nothing super interesting happens until about 40 minutes in and nothing particularly exciting happens for another 20 minutes after that.

Aesthetically, this was super enjoyable and intriguing and this is what primarily carried the film for me. It had beautiful and atmospheric settings and shots throughout.

There wasn't a ton of dialogue in this, and when there was, it was clunky most of the time. So, I preferred when it was silent or in a foreign language the most.

All in all it just didn't give me enough of a story, and what it did give me was a bit confusing with a lot of unanswered questions. The positives were there, but unfortunately the negatives outweighed. Wouldn't recommend to most unless you're looking for something aesthetically pleasing.

Haunting folktale from Serbia

[Navin-73689 · 15 April 2022]

I saw this not knowing what to expect. And I was pleasantly surprised to see something so different from what's currently being offered in mainstream cinemas. This film is art, beautiful cinematography, haunting soundtrack, original directing ideas, no CGI and very subtle and honest performances.

Above all, this film will take you on a journey and suck you in deeper and deeper into this small Serbian village and its dark secrets.

The atmosphere and suspense that Tomovic creates in his film will get under your skin.

Bad one!

[savastevanov · 1/10 · 27 October 2021]

The movie is bad,and I mean realy bad! One of the worst I have ever seen,and I have seen them a lot! It is not even close to "Leptirica" or "Sveto mesto",as I have heard some people are talking that this one is the new serbian horror master piece!

Poor, plodding and jumbled

[gavinandersonroberts-137-689084 · 2/10 · 12 November 2023]

This is a poor film. It feels like a whole load of ideas (some of them half decent) for individual scenes have been glued together ... the result is a largely incoherent piece.

Too many of the standard tropes are trotted out ... the creepy photos of people with eyes scratched out (how very original), the weird locals, the inability to leave because every road leads back to the same place, the friendly priest who knows what's going on but does nothing to help, doors slamming, books falling off tables etc etc etc. Yawn.

This could have been a pretty good short but there's certainly not enough here to justify 95 minutes.

Contemplative slow fright

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 7/10 · 4 December 2023]

Vampir is grounded in Serbia and this country side. The pace is slow, and the land is sparse. The film is somewhat silent given the main character doesn't speak Serbian, and no one in the village speaks English.

The main character suddenly arrives in Serbia from London, and he is taking a position to be the caretaker for a cemetery.

But, as he tries to settle in, the main character finds that the village and villagers are odd. Then, he starts experiencing odd disturbing dreams. At this point, the reality of this character starts to be questioned.

Small subtle details can be found that relate to some points in Dracula. These are little hints to show where the story is heading. The main acotr does well in his role as his past unfolds into his present.

This doesn't have the typical shock and gore of a horror vampire film. Instead, it has a steady and quiet sense that overpowers by the end.

Creepy and atmospheric arthouse horror

[seventyseven-sunsetstrip · 10/10 · 28 October 2021]

I saw this film at Sitges International Film Festival and was pleasantly surprised. This film reminded me of earlier horror classics like Carnival of Souls and especially of contemporary European auteur cinema. This is a different kind of horror film, not a typical vampire horror movie with loud bangs and cheap tricks what we have been used to seeing in recent years.

Vampir takes place in modern times in rural Serbia. We follow the protagonist as he arrives from London to this place and is confronted by local habits, traditions and superstitions.

Tomovic does a great job by telling the story by staying close to the character and showing everything subjectively through the main character's eyes. The lack of subtitles for the Serbian dialogue spoken by the locals enhances the paranoia and fear. The film is very creepy and atmospheric, cinematography and sound design go hand in hand in creating this beautiful yet very haunting picture. The acting throughout is superb as it's very authentic, subtle and naturalistic.

Tomovic as a writer/director succeeds in creating a very Kafkaesque story that has a much deeper meaning than an ordinary vampire movie. It is full of metaphors and has themes of returning as an immigrant child to your ancestor's country and belonging.

Haunting and menacing

[marcusmassey · 10/10 · 8 November 2021]

Vampir is a erie and hunting drama played out in a sinister and suffocating rural village in Serbia. The drama places the audience in the shoes of Arnaut, played beautifully and sensitively by the director, keeping his head down in the aforesaid village where a group of gangsters in London don't have a hope of tracking him down. Arnaut struggles to find some peace and isolation in an environment where the people are outwardly friendly, but gloomy and ominously uncanny. I had a very strong feeling of 'The Twilight Zone'.

The film is grim and macabre with excellent performances, whilst managing to show the beauty, style and distinct vibe of the rural villages of Yugoslavia. Excellent, and very enjoyable horror !!!

Intriguing microbudget

[movieguru363 · 8/10 · 11 April 2023]

Vampir is quite an interesting movie to watch and something a bit different from other films on a low budget range.

This is one of those films that you really feel got everything out of its budget. A bit slow in parts but still interesting to watch with some bits quite intentionally comical.

There is also at least one moment that is very gory and quite difficult to watch, definitely an image that will stay with me for some time.

A basic premise with a great eerie atmosphere. I'd be very interested to see what this director does next. Certainly there is the suggestion there that he can go on to bigger and better things.

Haunting folktale

[leptir21 · 10/10 · 12 November 2021]

This film was part of the Screamdance section at Raindance Film Festival and I had a beautiful evening discovering this unique film there. The presentation was followed by a Q&A with writer/director Branko Tomovic and producer Jean-Louis Alexandre where they gave the audience insight information on how and why this film was shot.

It was interesting to hear that Vampir is deeply connected to Tomovic's upbringing and that haunting village really exists in real life. The film is about so much more than just a silly horror film with lots of scares. For those who understand what being an immigrant child means this film raises interesting topics about your heritage and being confronted by traditions and superstitions of the locals. All this is cleverly masked by the filmmaker with great local characters and suspenseful metaphors.

Tomovic did a great job in making you feel for the character, the entire story is told subjectively through Arnaut's eyes. The film makes you feel the isolation of that place, the loneliness and paranoia. The claustrophobia kicks in as there is no way out. It's beautifully shot and acted. A sensitive authentic subtle performance. The film's strength is the atmosphere and doom that slowly creeps in. Once you realise there is no escape it is too late.

Film for future

[milosbudva · 10/10 · 29 October 2021]

This is a best production. It is not about standard vampire..Meeting human soul,adaptation in different country,accepting or ignoring from villagers.. This movie is example how we can be in same situation.

Good work!

Haunting, atmospheric, disturbing, and beautiful

[Zed-Runner · 10/10 · 22 July 2022]

Having grown extremely bored with the modern and increasingly ridiculous take on vampire lore, this was like a breath of fresh air. Seeing the vampire legend treated with such respect through a Serbian lens (Contrary to popular belief, the vampire legend began in Serbia, not Transylvania) was quite an experience. The cinematography is astounding, the acting is very good and the slow burn creep factor is off the charts. Tomavic creates a palpable, almost suffocating sense of dread with his stellar direction. If you think vampires sparkle, have jobs, or are capable of snappy banter, you owe it to yourself to see what true vampire lore is all about. This film will linger long after the credits roll.

Macabre marvel

[larouxfanjl · 10/10 · 14 November 2021]

This movie is something that blew me away. I am not a fan of the movie scene here in Serbia and Bosnia, but this was a masterpiece.

A movie that plays so well with the lighting, the thin slivers of fog, and smoke, the eerie contorted music of our traditions.

It follows the legend of the vampires,the tell tale signs that evil is near, that the spawns of darkness creep around.

It is rare today to find horror movies that do not feature overly used cliches, and jump scares that we all can predict by now. This movie plays so well with the whole psychological effects it has on the viewers, leaving a sinking feeling in their stomachs and bones.

Without too much flash, they have managed to capture the essence of the true vampires, and the gruesome aftermath one has, upon arriving on their land.

Atmospheric, inventive and unique

[martinstocks · 10/10 · 22 May 2022]

Brilliantly inventive, creepy folk horror tale. Accomplished direction from Branko Tomovic and visually interesting with unexpected scares. Would recommend to anyone looking for an art house horror film.

What vampires would really be like

[adeheathen-27843 · 9/10 · 6 August 2023]

Brooding folk horror from Serbia (with an English script) as a familiar tale is given a downbeat (not sparkly not glamorous) vampire in a small rural village.

The central character arrives to look after a cemetery, but its not long before rumours of the undead begin to affect his dreams.

Beautiful simplicity without many of the sfx or hammy performances we've cone to expect from vampires. Dark and delightful soundtrack too.

The main story is told by a handful of characters, but the villagers (living and dead) create an otherworldly environment to scare our hero. But is he a Harker, a Van Helsing or a Renfield?

Well paced, atmospheric Horror

[leckyboy · 25 October 2023]

I genuinely can't understand the bad reviews. This is a really thought provoking horror that mixes the psychological with the hairs on the backs of the arms creepy. It's well paced, exquisitely acted from our lead and all supporting, including non speaking parts. It also places the genre in an unfamiliar environment of the countryside of Serbia which in many ways acts almost as another character. We manage slowly slip into this Groundhog Day world, where even the use of one outfit that doesn't change much on our lead actor gives us a sense of being trapped in a world we are desperate to escape. 10/10.