What is Dampyr about? Netflix vampire movie explained

Jasmine Valentine
Poster for Dampyr, now on Netflix

A brand-new vampire movie has made its way onto Netflix – but what is it about? Here’s everything you need to know about Dampyr and whether it’s worth watching.

Gone are the days of Twilight and traditional Dracula, but the audience appetite for all things vampiric lives on.

Films such as Real Steel, Lone Survivor, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco have all made their debuts on the Netflix top 10 chart, with an unlikely supernatural force now set to join them.

Before you start bingeing, here’s everything you need to know on what Dampyr is about, its cast, and whether it’s worth watching.

What is Dampyr about?

Dampyr is an Italian horror-fantasy movie by Riccardo Chemello.

Dampyr’s official synopsis reads: “Con artist Harlan and his manager pretend to rid small villages of vampires haunting the town, accepting money for their fake services. When faced with defeating actual vampires, Harlan learns he is more than human and must use his newfound powers to destroy an evil master of the night.”

The movie was made with a budget of $15 million, and clocks in with a runtime of two hours. It was officially released in the US on August 8, 2023.

Dampyr cast: Who’s in it?

The official cast for Dampyr includes:

  • Wade Briggs as Harlan Draka / Dampyr
  • Stuart Martin as Emil Kurjak
  • Frida Gustavsson as Tesla Dubcek
  • Sebastian Croft as Yuri
  • Luke Roberts as Draka
  • David Morrissey as Gorka
  • Radu Andrei Micu as Lazar
  • Ionut Grama as Stefan
  • Florin Fratila as Dejan
  • Madalina Bellariu Ion as Velma
  • Andreea Coff as Chloe
  • Alice Cora Mihalache as Aysha
  • Alexandra Poiana as Vivien
  • Claudia Negroiu as old Chloe
  • Aura Calarasu as old Aysha
  • Simina Siminie as old Vivien
  • Oliver Lepadatu as young Harlan

Speaking to Crast, Stuart Martin said of the movie, “I think the interesting side of the film, by Dampyr, is the fact that you have the concepts of good and evil on stage, but at the same time you move in a context as real as that of war can be, in this case, European. So yes, we must not only deal with the evil represented by the vampires but also with a sort of previous and side baggage that constantly mixes the situation.”

Is Dampyr worth watching on Netflix?

So far, Dampyr doesn’t have an official Rotten Tomatoes rating, but audience reviews have been mixed.

“Other countries can manage to create better movies than American studios. For example, Dampyr was made with a $15 million budget and it’s based on an Italian comic book. The movie has more imagination than Marvel movies from the last few years,” one user posted on X/Twitter.

“Just watched Dampyr on Netflix and did some research. They did all that on a 15 million budget. Did some research and it’s based on a comic series so there is plenty more source material. Looked for news on a sequel. Nothing. Ah man… Why is it always the case?” another commented.

“This movie is yet another tedious cover of all the vampire movies of the past, the most obvious being John Csrpenter’s Vampires. This movie follows that plot almost scene for scene,” Tantarow on IMDB disagreed.

Dampyr has already reached the Netflix top 10 chart in certain regions.

Dampyr is streaming on Netflix now. Check out some of our other Netflix coverage below:

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About The Author

Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer at Dexerto. She's the go-to source for all things Young Sheldon, as well as many Netflix originals. Jasmine has also written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times.