Les Vampires

Les Vampires is a 1915-16 French silent crime serial film written and directed by Louis Feuillade. Set in Paris, it stars Édouard Mathé, Musidora and Marcel Lévesque and follows a journalist and his friend who become involved in trying to uncover and stop a bizarre underground Apache known as The Vampires (who are not the mythological beings their name suggests). It consists of ten episodes, which vary greatly in length. It was produced and distributed by Feuillade's company Gaumont. Being roughly 6.5 hours long, it is considered one of the longest films ever made. Due to its stylistic similarities with Feuillade's other crime serials Fantômas and Judex they often considered a trilogy.

Fresh from the success of Feuillade's previous serial, Fantômas, and facing competition from rival company Pathé, the film was made quickly and inexpensively with very little written script. Upon its initial release Les Vampires was given negative reviews by critics due to its lack of cinematic techniques compared to other films and dubious morality. However, it was a massive success with its War-time audience, making Musidora a star of French cinema. The film has since come under re-evaluation and is considered by many to be Feuillade's magnum opus and a cinematic masterpiece. It is recognised for developing thriller techniques, adopted by Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang, and avant-garde cinema, inspiring Luis Buñuel and others. It is included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.