Vampyr With a Live Score at The Cinematheque on Halloween

What you are buying

Vampyr is loosely based on Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, a vampire story that predates Dracula, and follows a young student of the occult into a French village under a vampire's curse. The Cinematheque describes it as Dreyer's most enigmatic film, full of shadows with no source, and it runs a lean 73 minutes in German with English subtitles.

The live score is the reason to go. The theatre says the five-piece band will build an original soundscape of guitars, vocals, percussion, brass and electronics that talks back to the film rather than simply sitting under it. A 94-year-old horror film with a band in the room is not something you can stream on the couch next week, which is the best argument for a date ticket we know.

The details that matter

The box office lists general admission as 18+ at $30, so two seats come to $60. Passes and Ticket Pack vouchers are not accepted for this event, so members should not count on their usual discount. The theatre is at 1131 Howe Street, one block west of Granville.

Who should skip it? Anyone hoping for jump scares. This is a slow, dreamlike film where the dread builds through images and sound. If your idea of Halloween is screaming at a haunted house, this is the wrong room. If you like a film you talk about all the way home, it is the right one.

How we would plan the night

With an 8pm start and a 73-minute film, you are back on the street by about 9:30pm with the Granville strip a block away. Eat beforehand rather than after, then walk over for the late Halloween crowds on Granville once the lights come up. Smash burgers at Monzo on Granville make a quick pre-film dinner, and Breka on Davie is the easy dessert stop on the way home. Costumes are optional at a repertory screening, but a long black coat counts as both.