20th Century Fox
It would n’t be an magnification to call Bram Stoker’sDraculathe single most important and influential revulsion story in story . In pretty much every medium that matter , from literature to film , Dracula is synonymous with repulsion , embodying the genre like few other characters ever could . surely , Frankenstein ’s monster and Mephistopheles might be quite famous revulsion icons in their own right field , but they can not arrive closely to Dracula ’s position . Curiously , Dracula ’s most famous cinematic adjustment does n’t even convey his name ; indeed , F. W. Murnau ’s 1922Nosferatu : A Symphony of Horrormight just be the tale ’s best translation into the film medium , almost single - handedly defining the repugnance genre and defining its visual language .
Nosferatuhas received a few adaptations , includingRobert Eggers ’ upcoming remakestarringBill Skarsgårdas the iconic Count Orlok . However , 45 years ago , revered German filmmaker Werner Herzog delivered what could arguably be the best take on the classical Dracula story , borrowing heavily from Murnau ’s visual language .
20th Century Fox
Starringnotorious sociopath and abuser Klaus Kinskias the legendary vampire , Herzog’sNosferatu the Vampyrereinvented a classic tale for an audience ready to embrace the darkest sides of the human soul , give rise the most contemplative horror movie ever made . On its 45th anniversary , Nosferatu the Vampyreremains resonant , dramatic , and utterly unforgettable , an test of Dracula that will probably never be trump .
The horror is in the silence
Anyone who has ever seen a movie by Werner Herzog could easy describe his visual spoken language : linger pellet attempting to get the vastness of the scene , television camera movements so liquid they almost seem unintentional , and a naturalistic feeler that gives his movies a nigh - documentary vibe — inconspicuous camera at its sodding . Herzog , in the Academy Award - winning words of an all - meter great , is so subtle he ’s almost subliminal . Nowhere have these classifiable quality been so open or well used than inNosferatu the Vampyre .
Unlike Murnau’sNosferatu , which was an unauthorized adaptation ofDracula , Herzog’sNosferatuis a straightforward retelling of the literary classic ; in fact , the only thing it has in common with Murnau ’s movie are the title , the mise en scene , and , of class , the striking imagination . It have staring gumption that Herzog would be attract to Murnau ’s world — they are possibly the most legendary in the horror genre , and a ocular storyteller like Herzog would surely be fascinated by them . account - wise , Nosferatu the Vampyresticks to Stoker ’s narration , except for the conclusion , which opt for a bleaker ending well beseem for ’ 70s audiences .
Thematically , Herzog is far more concerned in apprehension than outright horror . Any given scene in hisNosferatuis quiet to the point of being contemplative . Even when something is happen at the forefront , the background is almost as prominent , envelop the action with a most - overwhelming pull — a electric chair tardily generate to its place after being thrown , a standard candle reacting to a gust of winding , a clock tardily beat to the time of day . In this world , everything count , which think nothing really does . Shadows are never far away from this world , enveloping the corner of the framing , appearing as though conjured by evil itself , dispute only at Herzog ’s command .
To Herzog , that ’s where the real repulsion lies : in the immenseness of dark and the calmness of silence . It ’s there that the tactile sensation of guilt , awe , pain , and hungriness hide , which are at the very core of Dracula ’s news report . InNosferatu the Vampyre , the real little terror is not what we see but what ’s just outside our reach , lurk in the corner of the camera , just out of doors of our eyesight yet unattackable enough to perceive . It ’s not even Dracula that is terrify ; it ’s the wretchedness he conjures , the absolutely devastating torment he provokes . Dracula , and therefore Herzog ’s , true power is not that they scare us ; it ’s that they win over us they can .
The drowning weight of solitude
One can not discuss Nosferatu the Vampyrewithout talk about Klaus Kinski . I will not go into detail about his well - know problematic nature or his well - documented account of abuse ; for that , I commend his daughter Pola ’s biography , Kindermund , and Herzog ’s documentaryMy Best Fiend , which paint a vivid depiction of a man who , by all account , was a deeply unsettling presence straight out of a real - life history horror story . I will instead center on Kinski ’s Count Dracula and how Herzog utilizes the actor ’s classifiable and acute front to give up what is peradventure the great portrayal of a vampire on the silver projection screen .
To Herzog , vampirism is a curse , and Kinski embodies the pain of such an existence . There ’s a physicality to his carrying out that is as unsettling as it is discover . His Dracula embroil across his gothic prison house as though burden by the weight of centuries , carrying every regret he ’s compile throughout the year .
A simple movement takes everlastingly , be it an subdivision nurture or a finger pointing ; each footmark is torture , another reminder of the endless route he ’s step , with no rest on the sensible horizon . In most horror movies , the creeping , punctilious movement of the villain serve to increase stress and apprehension ; inNosferatu the Vampyre , they ’re visceral acknowledgments of the tragedy at the core of Dracula ’s tale and his relentless pursuit of Lucy Harker .
Eroticism is another all important aspect of Herzog ’s tale . Kinski deliver each parentage like a groan , spitting out words between bloomers as if his Dracula were always deform on by the mere law of proximity of others . To him , blood is not a need but a want , an resistless drug that calls to him , beckon him on a key level . Dracula ’s pain is not just from geezerhood ; it ’s from existing , doom to inhabit the same space as those he so desperately desires .
Nearly every commutation in the motion picture , from Dracula sucking Harker ’s hand to his climactic drinking of Lucy ’s blood , is sexual ; to him , every fundamental interaction , no matter how basic , is an chance for release . In Herzog ’s world , Dracula is the ultimate predator not because of his immortality and abilities but because of his consideration to see everything as prey .
This approach tolerate us to be in a constant state of warning signal , simultaneously trance and discomforted by Dracula . Rather than his supernatural mogul or status as an undead force of immorality , it ’s his salacious , animalistic wait at pretty much anything with a heartbeat that ’s truly dire . Of course , have intercourse what we know about Kinski ’s real - life ways , the performance only becomes more effective and uneasy , a worrisome monitor of how often life imitate art .
A horror story for the ages
Even 45 years after its premiere , Nosferatu the Vampyreremains a masterpiece of repulsion . It ’s so profoundly unsettling in pretty much every possible way — visually , narratively , thematically , and tonally — that it ca n’t help but feel sweet and evergreen . That ’s the true power of the horror literary genre and the reason why so many remain spellbind by the tale of Dracula .
Sure , Nosferatu the Vampyreis not without its flaws . There ’s the casualness to the story that ca n’t help but make the climax seem anti - climactic ; there ’s the manybehind - the - scenes accusations of animate being crueltytoward Herzog and the aforementioned problematic nature of the film ’s leading man . However , Nosferatu the Vampyreis still a masterclass in horror filmmaking , a catgut punch of a motion picture that squeeze us to confront our deepest fears : isolation , unfulfilled desire , yearning environ on compulsion , and self - forfeiture .
The true revulsion lies in just how far we ’d go to get what we covet . Some trade their mortal to Satan and become the undead , the pestilence of this humiliated universe . And there will always be evil lounge around the corner . IfNosferatutells us anything , it ’s that iniquity never dies ; instead , it merely change faces . Darkness might go away at dawn , but it always comes back , just as strong as before . Listen to them , the children of the nighttime ; soon , you might be one of them .
Nosferatu the Vampyreis available tostream of Tubi .
