Premise: A remake of a German Silent Horror movie classic, Nosferatu the Vampyre keeps many of the elements of the original and gives us the dialogue and performances that make it a cult classic. Streaming now on Tubi, Peacock, and some floating around on Youtube, Nosferatu is a must see.
What I Liked: Before the golden area of 80s slashers, Nosferatu relies on legends and folktales and expansive views of hills, cities, and ruins to create the foreboding atmosphere. It was quite a build up to Count Dracula and what an impression it was. This is a classic movie monster. The way Nosferatu stares, the way he moves his long fingers of sharp nails. Every tiny movement is eerie and makes you too afraid to look to look at it directly but equally afraid to turn your back away from it.
And then our poor traveler cuts his hand in front of the count and I felt myself bracing for the worst. This is impressive because there aren’t any jump scares just menacing presence all around. This is accomplished with gothic images of coffins and rats in the streets and distant wails in the night. No gore either. just your imagination filling in the blanks.
What I Didn’t Like: For the era, this kind impressionist style which tends to rely on images (as I stated above), the rest of the story tends to be boring. There is a straight forward plot, but not enough action between the frights to keep viewers interested.
Verdict: One day I’ll watch the silent film and see if it’s superior to this remake. Until then, Nosferatu the Vampyre is a great addition to your horror season.