Les Vampires (1915) and The Birth of Episodic Horror
by Justine Norton-Kertson
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Among the silent era’s cinematic curiosities, the 1915 French serial Les Vampires, directed by Louis Feuillade, stands out as a pioneering work that blends horror, crime, and surrealism into a 10-part seven hour long epic. Often considered one of the earliest and most ambitious examples of serialized filmmaking, Les Vampires holds a unique place in film history, offering insights into the evolution of horror and its intersection with serialized storytelling. And while it doesn’t explicitly lean into the queer coding we see in early vampire films over the following decades, it does provide an early example of how vampires were used to illustrate otherness, and this sense is certainly a forerunner to the more homophobic vampiric depictions of the 1930s and 40s. For Nerd Horror’s 365 Days of Horror, this is a deep cut worth exploring, both for its historical significance and for the sheer audacity of its vision.
A New Form of Storytelling
In an era when films were typically standalone, Les Vampires broke new ground by delivering its story in episodic installments. Spanning nearly seven hours, the series follows journalist Philippe Guérande as he investigates the mysterious criminal organization known as "The Vampires." While not vampires in the supernatural sense, this shadowy group embodies a kind of societal horror, manipulating and terrorizing the public with their sinister plots.
The episodic format allows for a sprawling narrative filled with twists, cliffhangers, and character arcs that feel surprisingly modern. Each episode builds on the last, drawing viewers deeper into the labyrinthine world of crime, corruption, and intrigue. Watching Les Vampires today is akin to binge-watching an early 20th-century horror/crime miniseries—a testament to its ahead-of-its-time structure.
The Creation and Production
Louis Feuillade’s vision for Les Vampires was both ambitious and experimental. Produced during World War I, the series faced significant challenges, including limited resources and a backdrop of societal turmoil. Despite these constraints, Feuillade managed to craft a visually rich and narratively complex work that remains captivating over a century later.
Much of the series’ appeal lies in its striking visual style. Feuillade’s use of location shooting, intricate set designs, and expressive performances created a dreamlike atmosphere that feels both grounded and otherworldly. The shadowy, maze-like settings evoke a sense of dread and mystery, making the world of Les Vampires as much a character as the cast itself.
One of the most iconic elements of the series is the character of Irma Vep (an anagram of "vampire"), played by Musidora. Clad in a sleek black catsuit, Irma Vep exudes an air of danger and seduction, becoming an archetype for femme fatales in later horror and crime cinema. Her performance adds layers of complexity to the series, elevating it from a simple crime story to a meditation on power, identity, and morality.
For modern audiences, watching Les Vampires is both a challenge and a delight. The series’ length and pacing can feel daunting, but its episodic structure allows viewers to experience it in manageable portions. The absence of synchronized sound requires a shift in viewing habits, with audiences relying on visual cues, intertitles, and musical accompaniment to engage with the story.
Music plays a crucial role in enhancing the viewing experience. Whether accompanied by a live pianist or a modern score, the music imbues scenes with tension, excitement, or melancholy, bridging the gap between silent-era storytelling and contemporary emotional engagement. The episodic nature also allows for moments of reflection between episodes, giving viewers time to digest the intricate plotlines and thematic undertones.
From a nerd horror perspective, Les Vampires is a treasure trove of early genre experimentation. It merges the macabre and the mundane, creating a world where horror isn’t just about supernatural monsters but the terrors of human greed, corruption, and violence. The series’ blend of crime and horror set the stage for later works that would explore similar themes, from film noir to psychological thrillers.
Irma Vep’s influence on genre archetypes is another key reason to revisit Les Vampires. As a precursor to characters like Catwoman and other anti-heroines, she represents the intersection of horror, crime, and gender politics in early cinema. Her charisma and complexity challenge traditional depictions of women in silent films, making her an enduring figure in film history.
Parallels to Early Queer Vampire Tropes
Les Vampires does not explicitly delve into the overt queer tropes commonly associated with later vampire narratives, such as the seductive, homoerotic undertones of characters like Dracula or the queer-coded relationships seen in films like Carmilla adaptations. However, there are subtle parallels to early queer tropes in its portrayal of "The Vampires" as outsiders, societal threats, and morally ambiguous figures. Here's a brief analysis of how these themes align with early queer tropes:
The Femme Fatale as the Deviant Outsider
Irma Vep is a central figure in Les Vampires and embodies the archetype of the dangerous femme fatale. Her sleek, androgynous black catsuit and enigmatic presence make her a figure of fascination and subversion. While not overtly queer, Irma Vep's independence, refusal to conform to traditional gender roles, and morally ambiguous actions align with early depictions of queerness as "otherness."Femme fatales in early cinema were often coded queer because they rejected traditional femininity, autonomy, and maternal roles. Irma Vep's power and allure might read as queer-coded, especially to modern viewers attuned to these tropes.
The Vampires as a Threat to Social Norms
The criminal organization "The Vampires" operates as a secretive, shadowy group lurking on society's fringes, threatening its moral and social order. This dynamic reflects how early 20th-century narratives often framed queer people as clandestine "others" whose very existence destabilized societal norms. While not explicitly tied to sexuality, the metaphor of a hidden society with "corrupt" morals mirrors the way queer subcultures were vilified during this era.Irma Vep's Subversion of Gender Expectations
Irma Vep's wardrobe, particularly her catsuit, is strikingly androgynous and far removed from the traditional, overtly feminine attire of early 20th-century female characters. This challenges conventional gender binaries, a hallmark of queer-coded villains in early cinema. Her ability to wield power, seduce, and outwit men places her in a space often reserved for men, suggesting a fluidity in her role that could align with queer readings.
While Les Vampires shares some structural and metaphorical similarities with queer-coding, it lacks the explicit vilification tied to queerness seen in later vampire narratives. Films like Dracula's Daughter (1936) or The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) used vampirism or other supernatural elements as direct allegories for repressed or "deviant" desires, painting queer characters as tragic or predatory. Les Vampires, in contrast, frames its villains as anarchic disruptors of order rather than explicitly tying their villainy to sexual or gender deviance.
From a nerd horror perspective, Les Vampires provides an intriguing glimpse into how early horror and crime cinema began shaping themes of "otherness" and subversion. While it doesn't explicitly connect its characters to queer tropes, its thematic overlaps with these ideas reflect the broader cultural anxieties of the time. For modern audiences, Irma Vep’s iconography, gender fluidity, and transgressive presence make her a compelling figure through which to explore the intersections of gender, sexuality, and villainy in early cinema.
By examining Les Vampires in this light, it’s clear that the series serves as an early template for later horror films that grapple more directly with queer-coded narratives.
A Journey Through Time
Watching Les Vampires is more than just a historical exercise. In addition, it’s an immersive journey into the origins of episodic horror and crime storytelling. The series’ daring narrative structure, iconic characters, and innovative visual style make it a must-watch for hardcore horror fans, cinema history, and serialized storytelling. It’s a reminder of how much the genre owes to its silent-era pioneers and a compelling argument for the timeless appeal of horror as a reflection of societal fears and desires.
For Nerd Horror’s 365 Days of Horror, Les Vampires offers a unique viewing experience that’s as intellectually stimulating as it is entertaining. Whether you binge watch it in a single sitting or savor it over several nights, this early masterpiece will leave you marveling at the creativity and ingenuity of cinema’s earliest horror storytellers.
