Classic Movie Review : Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Whenever you're remaking a movie that's already well known and beloved, personal interpretation becomes the name of the game. No one wants to feel old thrills they've already experienced before. At least I don't and I think German creative powerhouse Werner Herzog agreed with me when he created his own vision of Nosferatu in 1979, Nosferatu the Vampyre. A legally dubious spin off Dracula to begin with, Nosferatu didn't seem like a concept all that interesting until it was reimagined by two interesting weirdoes.

In case you’re been living under a rock, Nosferatu the Vampyre tells the story of Jonathan (the immortal Bruno Ganz) and Lucy Harker (the equally immortal Isabelle Adjani), a happily married young couple who come under duress after Jonathan travels to Transylvania in order to close a real estate deal with the recluse Count Orlock (the utmost immortal Klaus Kinski) who is somehow looking to move in their hometown and he does. You all know what happens next, it turns into a shit show once the Count settles in.

Strangeness is all about context

Nosferatu the Vampyre is (oddly) a naturalistic movie. Everything about it is so underplayed, I’m not even sure it features any blood. The uneasiness and the horror emanates from the uneasiness and horror of life itself and situation Jonathan and Lucy found themselves in. Notably fighting off a creepy hermit who exerts physical control over them and struggling with the guilt of having brought the literal plague upon their city. Count Orlock is being weird and townsfolk are dropping like flies. It's all there is to it.

There are so many fun details that take a life of their own. For example, Orlock is almost always on foot, which strips away his supernatural aura. When he arrives in town aboard the Demeter (in a way creepier scene than in the new movie, by the way), he unloads his coffins of cursed earth by himself. It’s such a weird, but lively creative decision. When Lucy flashes her crucifix at him, instead of ushering a melodramatic scene, Klaus Kinski just goes "muuuueeeh” and leaves and somehow it makes him creepier.

Perhaps the most striking naturalistic scene in Nosferatu the Vampyre is Count Orlock's death scene (yeah, Nosferatu dies at the end, sorry for spoiling a 128 years old story). He doesn’t go down in flames, he doesn't melt into a puddle of ooze, he just straight up dies and no one seems to care. His body is lying around and everyone's overstepping it in order to try and save Lucy. If that doesn't inherently tell you how grim, stupid and useless death can be, I don't know what will. The power shift in the relationship is bone chilling.

The Alchemy of Nosferatu the Vampyre

If Nosferatu the Vampyre is so downplayed, why is it so haunting then? Glad you asked. I believe that draining about 90% of the folkloric elements of the narrative helps selling the film as some kind of reasonable in between of a scary folk tale and some historical tragedy that-probably-happened-but-not-like-this. I usually hate movies that play on two creative paradigms, but it works here somehow. I believe the magic ingredient is the fear of death someone. This is what Nosferatu the Vampyre is really about.

The key scene in that regard (and perhaps my favorite scene of the movie) is the end of the world party thrown by the townsfolk. It’s the most joyless, fearful party I've ever seen. Everyone goes mechanically through the motions, trying to ignore the obscene amounts of rats taking over the city. Don’t email me about Herzog's mistreatment of the rats on set, by the way. I know all about it and I don't condone any of it, but the scene still functions whether you’re aware of it or not. This movie is that good.

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I was not expecting to love Nosferatu the Vampyre so much upon this rewatch. I don’t know if it’s the spleen caused by David Lynch's passing, but I believe this is a treasure of weirdo cinema and that it should be cherished as such. It has such a powerful, singular creative vision that other, more conventional movies can't quite wash it away. I like all the Nosferatu adaptations to various degrees, but this is special. I’m going higher than any of you might think. This movie is older than me, but it still feels fresh and fun.

9.1/10

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