Nosferatu the Vampyre: Roger Ebert on Herzog’s vampire

Estate summary

Roger Ebert approaches Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre as a meditation on vampirism rather than a conventional succession of shocks. He argues that the familiar plot has become less important than the feelings and images that Herzog draws from it. The journey through the mountains is a central example: landscape, cloud and music establish a sustained mixture of exhilaration and dread before the Count appears. Ebert particularly admires Klaus Kinski’s performance for avoiding the actorly relish and theatrical gestures associated with many screen vampires. The creature is presented as an unhappy, unsettling presence, rather than a performer enjoying a flamboyant role. The film’s slowness is therefore part of its achievement for this reviewer, inviting repeated viewing and attention to mood. His account helps explain why this adaptation should be experienced differently from a fast-moving horror thriller or an instalment in a familiar commercial series.

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