Dampyr: O Filho do Vampiro

Dampyr is a B-movie that wears its B-movieness with pride. It is solidly in the category of "so bad it's good", with every possible cliche and Godzilla-sized plot holes.

At first, I had high hopes for the 1990s Yugoslavia war setting hoping to see a blend of history and fantasy, but 10 minutes later, it became clear that whoever wrote the script, had a very vague idea about history, Slavic names, how human beings talk, or how to write a script. Were the soldiers Serbs? Croats? Who knows, and none of them wore uniforms, nor indicated who they were fighting for nor the actual country they were in. The war is a vague event with a bunch of plainclothes fashion models drive around in Al Qaeda-style pickup trucks with big guns and kewl 1970s music, occasionally shooting a surviving civilian. What, you didn't know? War is hell.

But once you stop expecting any semblance of logic and assume it's a parody, it turns out to be a tolerable experience. Commander Dolce & Gabbana (background: requisite dead family) and a vampire slayer (background: Jesus with a drinking problem; never asked himself why he's been alive for hundreds of years without aging) are joined by a hot blonde vampire (background: hot; blonde; vampire) to take on a bad vampire. That's it. The rest is what you'd expect it to be, plus plot holes. Turn off your brain, watch, and enjoy, with an optional drinking game for cliches and plot holes.

It's evidently based on an Italian comic of the same name (I'd never heard of it.) Fans of the comic will probably get more out of it than casual viewers. Dampyr is essentially a superhero origin story: developing the protagonist and defining his powers, introducing his allies; and giving him a dopey mid-tier villain as an initial test while more formidable antagonists wait in the wings.

The movie makes good use of an apparently small budget. The 1992 Yugoslav war is a perfect setting for a modern vampire movie. The two main supporting performances are quite good. Everything else about the production is hit-or-miss. The dialogue goes from snappy to banal and back in a single conversation; the character development and world-building are sometimes sharply economical and other times either bloated or non-existent; and the main actor's performance is wobbly - he has some snarky charisma but he doesn't have the gravitas to carry big moments.

Overall it's an enjoyable mid-tier popcorn flick. Turn your brain off and have fun with it.

I rarely watch Subtitled movies, as I tend to multi task and miss bits. But this was a bit special, and had my attention all the way through. For me it had echoes of John Carpenters Vampires, 30 Days of Night and another Russian movie, Night Watch. The acting is top notch, and I liked the way the story developed. A few people have commented it is a bit slow, and lacks bite. But for me, the character and story development helps build the atmosphere. I have watched a lot of Vampire movies, and this is definitely up there. The cinematography was superb, with lots of atmospheric scenes, dark woods and swirling fog. All in all a very enjoyable watch.

For fans of the genre, it's pretty much a mishmash of other stories. Hints of Blade, Vampire Hunter D, so on with maybe a touch of Constantine. Definitely scripted to be the start of a series, but would be surprised if someone sprung for the desired sequels. Does meet Netflix criteria, however - Cheap to make. Production quality is fine for the Eastern European origins (on par with Blade 1). Worth the watch if nothing else catches your eye, but don't expect an Oscar quality script or performance. I'm sure any plot holes (big enough to drive a truck through) will be filled in its intended sequels or possibly filled in by its comic book origins.

I loved this film. It had the feel of an old school vampire film. Hopefully people will judge for themselves so maybe they can make another one. It has some really great actors in it. It is also english speaking. The story line is good. I feel like if they make more we will get more of the story. If your favorite horror sub genre is Vampires like mine than you should check this film out. David Morrissey played a great wicked vampire. Dampyr did not disappoint as far as I'm concerned. This is also has the lead from the new spin off series viking Valhalla in it. Don't miss out on this dark fantasy.