Based on the comic series of the same name by Sergio Bonelli Ediotre, Riccardo Chemello’s Dampyr is a horror-fantasy film. The character itself is inspired by Slavic folklore, where it represents the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The film follows the origin story of Harlan, the Dampyr, and how he structures his course of life. There is also the human soldier Kurjak and a vampire named Tesla, who join Harlan on his journey to secure the existence of humankind from the clutches of the vampires.
Spoilers Ahead.
Dampyr (2022) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis:
The film opens in the night when Harlan is about to be born. In a distant location, on a mountain, stands a wooden house guarded by three powerful witches. They are protecting the mother and the child from a legendary vampire named Draka. Draka made love with the human woman, and now he has come to take his child. He knows that if the child is born, that person will be a Dampyr, who will be the doom for all the vampires.
Dampyr’s blood works like acid on a vampire’s skin. It burns them completely, deadlier than the sunlight itself. So, to protect the child from Draka, one of the three witches covered the house with magic. The child is born, and the mother dies. Draka is furious, and he unleashes all his strength to destroy the witches. But the three witches together are able to safeguard the child and protect it against the wrath of Draka.
What does Kurjak witness in Yorvolak?
We see Major General Emil Kurjak arriving in a village named Yorvolak, where the war has taken its toll. There is no sign of people apart from some dead bodies. But because the crew has been in war and they know how the war victims look, the wounds on these people looked wholly different. Inside the church, Kurjak’s team sees that a huge pile of dead bodies is stacked there. Right at that moment, an old man comes from the back, saying that some inhuman things attacked them at night.
The old man also tells Kurjak that he must find the Dampyr, and only he can save them from the threat that lies ahead. Well, Kurjak has no idea what he is talking about, and suddenly, one of Kurjak’s teammates, Stefan, shoots him dead. That night, Kurjak’s whole crew witnessed something they had never seen before. They are fighting against something; even bullets fail to leave a mark. At that point, Lazar tells Kurjak that he knows about the Dampyr the old man was talking about. Kurjak decides to meet the Dampyr, seeing that there is no option of fighting against these creatures that haunt them at night.
What does Harlan do to the Creatures?
Lazar comes to take Harlan and his manager, Yuri, from a village nearby. Harlan and Yuri used to do voodoo stuff to earn money, but when Lazar comes, everything changes. He meets with Kurjak, who tells him what he hears from the old man. Harlan is known for hunting down vampires, but he makes a joke about it, saying that vampires don’t exist. Kurjak then leaves him on the outside while the rest of them take shelter inside.
Later that night, Tesla comes in disguise to seek help from Harlan, and just before sucking the blood out of Harlan, she understands that he is not human. But, before she could make the other vampires aware of him, one of them used his hand to cut him. Harlan’s blood touches the vampire’s hand, and it starts to burn. Through Tesla’s eyes, Gorka, the master of all vampires, sees whatever is going on.
He calls everyone back, as he knows that defeating a Dampyr is not a task for a mere vampire. He orders Tesla to stay back and be his eyes so that he can see Harlan’s moves. The following day, a vampire’s burnt body is found, and Kurjak and his squad go inside the church to interrogate Tesla. But, seeing the body, no one dares to stay even for a minute in the village. So, the soldiers protest against Kurjak’s decisions, and they all leave him with Harlan and Tesla, locking the church door from the outside.
Tesla then talks to Harlan, as she knows that he doesn’t understand how he is able to kill a vampire. She then reminds him of his birth and his father being a vampire. She tells him about how Gorka imprisoned her in the past. Moreover, she wants to get rid of him. The only way to do it is to bring Harlan in front of him so that he can kill Gorka. Harlan believes that the nightmares he has faced since the early days of his childhood may finally have some answers. So, they decide to go and meet Gorka, and Kurjak decides to join them.
Dampyr (2022) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Harlan plan to kill Gorka?
Through Tesla, Gorka is able to see every movement, so it is his plan to bring Harlan to him in the city. Tesla only follows orders; however, deep inside, her urge to be free from Gorka is rising. Meanwhile, since Harlan has learned about his blood being deadly to the vampires, he decides to cut his hand and cover the bullets with his blood. Well, it works great with other vampires, but defeating Gorka is not that easy.
On the other hand, Gorka has already made Stefan into a vampire, and now Stefan is torturing both Tesla and Kurjak. He cuts Kurjak with his hands, and while Kurjak struggles with pain, he somehow manages to free himself. Subsequently, Tesla puts Stefan into the chains. Tesla then burns Stefan, and together, they go to help Harlan in his fight against Gorka. But it is already too late.
Gorka is very fast and powerful; being the master of vampires is obviously going to take a lot more than mere bullets. He easily traps both Kurjak and Tesla and goes one-on-one with Harlan. Harlan’s ability limits himself in front of the almighty Gorka. He is almost dying when he visits his nightmares and finds out about Draka, his father. Draka tries to give him a choice between ending his life in vain or embracing his powers and fighting.
How does Harlan get powers like Draka?
Harlan has always ignored his past, but his truest potential lies in confronting them and not running away from them. So, in the dream, when he confronts his father, Draka, he learns that by embracing his powers, only he can defeat the ultimate evil. If he runs away from who he is, this will only end up being the triumph of the evil Gorka. So he decides to follow his destiny and embraces the power he is given by his father, Draka. With the same power as Gorka and the advantage of being a Dampyr, the killer of the vampires, Harlan easily defeats Gorka, ending his existence on the face of the earth.
Will there be a Sequel to Dampyr?
After killing Gorka, a door opens up, and Harlan finds a book where his father is mentioned along with other powerful vampires. These Masters of the Night are a grave threat to humanity, and Harlan, along with Kurjak and Tesla, decide to put up a fight against them to save humankind. So, this definitely means that there can be a sequel to this film.
Is there a Mid-Credit Scene?
Yes. In the mid-credit scene, we find Draka standing in front of Velma’s grave while the three witches come from the back. They say that his son refuses to ally with him and chooses to kill the vampires, including him, perhaps. In reply, Draka says he is only fighting his war. This means since he has fallen in love with the human, Velma, he decides to stop other vampires from harming the humans. He never wanted to kill Harlan in the first place, as it seems. All in all, in the upcoming parts, we are going to see Harlan and Draka fighting together to save humankind from the clutches of the Masters of the Night.
