The Vampyre is an adaptation of John Polidori’s iconic novel of the same name - a world famous work of literature which began life in 1816 when Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord George Byron and John Polidori went for a summer holiday to the now world-famous Villa Diodati, on the banks of Lake Geneva. A volcano had erupted in Indonesia and was sending molten ash and smoke across Europe, creating a dark and murky atmosphere. Byron suggested that everyone should write a horror or ghost story to pass the time. Mary Shelley famously started to write her masterpiece, “Frankenstein” when at Villa Diodati, whilst Byron and Polidori began to write “The Vampyre”. However, Byron soon grew tired of the story - leaving John Polidori to complete the book.

In our film, we explore the complex relationship between Polidori and Byron and see John’s descent into mental health issues. As his story overtakes him, John begins to believe that the vampire - Lord Ruthven - is in the corner of his attic room as he writes, mocking his endeavours. We delve into John’s mind as his story unfolds and we see iconic characters such as "Lord Ruthven”, "Lady Mercer” and “Ianthe" come to life, with a parallel story-line in which John’s own struggles are mirrored in his novel by his alter-ego character, “Aubrey” as he finally confronts Lord Ruthven, an act that is to have terrible consequences.