Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Australian Premiere – 4K Restoration

“Werner Herzog's venture to Transylvania seems as much inspired by German romantic art (Caspar David Friedrich, especially) as by Bram Stoker or Bela Lugosi.” – Geoffrey Macnab, Independent (UK)

Werner Herzog’s phantasmagoric Nosferatu the Vampyre borrows from both F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film and Bram Stoker’s classic novel, combining the visuals of the former with the narrative structure and characters of the latter. 

Klaus Kinski (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) eerily embodies the Transylvanian fiend, bringing creeping pestilence to idyllic Wismar, Germany in pursuit of his beautiful, wide-eyed victim (Isabelle Adjani, Possession). Herzog’s tale explores themes of superstition and religious belief in an age of science, and the triumph of nature over civilization, brewing in an atmosphere of bleak, apocalyptic morbidity. 

Festival Appearances/Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 1979 – Winner Outstanding Single Achievement (Silver Bear)
Telluride Film Festival 1979 – Official Selection
National Board of Review 1979 – Winner, Top Foreign Films

Screening as part of Vampire Weekend.