Running 440 minutes and split into ten unequal sections, Les Vampires is not quite a serial (it’s missing the cliffhangers we associate with that genre), and also not quite a series of films. However, it’s a wildly entertaining thriller which is as ambitious in its own way as D.W. Griffith’s films of the era – featuring elements that would crop up in films for decades to come. The lengthy tale follows reporter Phillipe Guerande (Edouard Mathe), who is one the trail of the criminal gang The Vampires, who are terrorizing the upper class with a string of robberies and murders. Along with the faithful (and oddly competent) comic relief Mazamette, Phillipe captures the various Grand Vampires who run the gang, as well as the unforgettable Irma Vep (Musidora), who remains the series’ most enduring character. In fact, the villains are so appealing that they make the rather bland and ineffective Phillipe (who manages to get himself captures multiple times) seem rather boring. While slow at spots, things come to a rousing climax. A remake of Les Vampires ended up being the subject of the 1996 film Irma Vep starring Maggie Cheung.