After witnessing a crime, Arnaut (writer/director Branko Tomovic) leaves London and moves to a small cottage in Setrbia to take the role as caretaker of a cemetery. It seems like a simple job, but proves to be anything but as the locals begin acting strangely, especially when the sun sets.

VAMPIR is a very moody and atmospheric film. It submerges the viewer into this strange environment filled with strange people doing strange things. With its lead (Tomovic) acting as sort of a blank slate for all of this oddness to bounce upon, it really does allow the viewer to experience the strangeness up close and personal. The townsfolk with their somber expressionless faces and black clothing lurk around Arnaut’s new home and as his stay in the small village grows longer, one can understand why Arnaut’s sanity is waning. This is a descent into madness tale and for those who like a thorough and believable descent, this one qualifies.

One of the issues is that there really isn’t a lot going on. I mean, there are definitely things happening behind the scenes, but since we are told this tale from the protagonist’s POV and really are not clued into the reasoning behind all of the weirdness until the last act, it makes for a very long time sitting and watching Arnaut walking through the village and sitting in his house. It doesn’t make for the most riveting of movies and feels more like an arthousey meditative film that is more concerned with the immersion of the viewer than entertaining them every second of the time. I did feel this immersion, but I can’t say I wasn’t bored a time or two.

Props to Branko Tomovic for doing the heavy lifting in VAMPIR as he wrote, directed, and starred in the film. While I feel the director was able to provide some rich atmosphere and some terrifying scenes that may or may not be nightmares, I do feel this somber, occasionally silent film is under-written. I liked the conversations Arnaut has with the village priest as his sanity wanes, but these conversations are few and far between. And while I’m sure he’s a great guy, Tomovic is not the most charismatic of actors. He just kind of schlubs around. He’s obviously carrying a heavy burden, but aside from a few scenes where Arnaut finally breaks down and gives in to the pressure, he really doesn’t emote a lot, making him a rather boring person to follow for an hour and a half.

But the biggest issue of the film is that it spends the entire film hinting that there is something wrong—that there is something dangerous in the shadows of this small village. The entire movie has Arnaut questioning his sanity as the people act weird around him and it all leads to a big revelation at the very end. The thing is, that big revelation is the title of the damn movie. I mean, THE SIXTH SENSE had a nice ambiguous title, but I’m sure if it were called GHOST DETECTIVE BRUNO, the ending might not have been as powerful. Because the film is called VAMPIR, you’re waiting the entire movie for the vampire to show up and you know what happens in the last reel, SPOILER ALERT, a vampire shows up. I just wish the film would have been a bit more creative with the title. It would have made the ending resonate all the more.

I seem to have found an awful lot wrong about VAMPIR, but I do want to stress that this was an immersive little film placing the viewer into a strange culture well and soaking in the oddity of this environment. VAMPIR succeeds in that aspect, even though it has many other things wrong with it.

Check out the trailer here!!