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Nosferatu with Vampyr & Le Vampire [Gothic Horror Collection Volume I]

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Given all the fuss about them in the last few years, you would think that vampires movies and TV had only just been invented. But they've always been fascinating to moviemakers -- and "Nosferatu (plus Vampyr & Le Vampire - Gothic Horror Collection Volume I)" brings together two atmospheric, haunting horror classics, plus a surrealist short film with a slightly misleading title.

"Nosferatu: eine Symphonie des Grauens" is a very loose adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic story, "Dracula" -- a young real estate agent named Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) is sent to the Carpathians to sell a mansion to a reclusive nobleman named Count Orlock (the sublimely creepy Max Schreck). Locals refuse to go near the castle, strange creatures roam nearby, and Orlock makes weird comments about "your precious blood!"

Yeah, you know the drill -- Orlock is obviously a vampire who has a craving for Hutter's hearty Germanic blood, and Hutter's troll boss knows what he is. Hutter soon realizes what Orlock is, but he's too late to stop the vampire from departing from his ancient castle and going to Hutter's own hometown. In true vampire tradition, he also leaves a trail of corpses behind him -- and there's only one way to stop him.

"Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey" takes a very different approach to the undead. When occult student Allan Gray arrives at a nearby chateau, he finds that the owner has been murdered, and his daughter Leone is suffering from mysterious wounds. After the girl is rescued from a strange old crone, she begins acting predatory toward her sister Gisele -- and the weird old doctor says that only a transfusion will save her. But the doctor is in league with the vampire -- and is working to destroy Leone.

And "Le Vampire" is a nine-minute short that seems to focus on the fascinatingly weird side of the animal kingdom -- Jean Painlevé packs his brief documentary with visions of insects, sea animals, and finally a surprisingly cute vampire bat who feeds off an even cuter guinea pig.

Given the current manias about stuff like "Twilight" and "True Blood," it's both refreshing and humbling to see that the best vampire movies are also some of the oldest. While "Nosferatu" and "Vampyr" are only loosely based on the prototypical vampire novels "Dracula" and "Carmilla," they are absolutely soaked in haunting, gothic atmospheric that makes them seem like beautiful nightmares.

Oh sure, "Nosferatu" has the overacting and goofy makeup of the silent era, and "Vampyr" is a bit slow at times. But both F.W. Murnau and Carl Theodor Dreyer were truly brilliant and innovative directors -- the former coats "Nosferatu" in creepy silhouettes and freaky moments of sorrow and terror (note the symbolism of the venus flytrap!), and "Vampyr" is a haunting, misty valentine to the macabre, with skeletons, dancing shadows, and pale feverish faces.

The actors also deserve a shout-out -- Max Schreck is simply sublime as the rat-toothed, clawed, ghoulish Orlock, and manages to give one of the most subtle performances in any silent film. Julian West does a solid job as Allan Gray, but Sybille Schmitz is absolutely wonderful in her small role (such as when Gisele bares her teeth gleefully at Leone).

As for "Le Vampire"... well, it has some clips from "Nosferatu," but it's not really about UNDEAD vampires. The focus here is on a charming little bat that stalks around its cage on all fours, occasionally lapping up food or stretching its little wing. The bat, and its casual bloodsucking, are all the more disturbing because of how cute it is.

I honestly don't know how good Walking Shadows' release will be, but I can assure you that the selected movies are simply brilliant -- and if you don't buy this, buy "Vampyr" and "Nosferatu" somewhere else.

Nosferatu and Vampyr represent the very beginnings of the vampire genre, and both are excellent movies as well as classics.

Vampyr captures the fears that were racing through Germany in the 1920 and 30s. Vampyr is a surrealistic telling of the vampire myth, in which people who are evil in life die and become vampires. They walk on Earth as shadows, sucking the blood of the young and turning them into vampires. Only a stake through the heart during the day, when they sleep in their graves can stop them and free their victims.

Director Dreyer was also a member of the Der Sturm art movement, a German expressionist who was fascinated, as most of the movement were, by dreams and blurring the lines between reality and the subjective. We're not exactly sure what really happens in Vampyr and what is dream, and that's the way Dreyer wanted it.

The storyline follows a traveller, Allan Gray [Julian West]', whose study of the occult has blurred his ability to tell reality from fantasy. Arriving at a small town one night and taking a room at the inn, Gray is seized by horror and falls into a troubled sleep. From this point on, the movie blends scenes of seeming reality with scenes of clear surrealism, so that we are constantly guessing.

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Regarding Nosferatu, everyone knows the story, at least pretty well, given that it follows Stoker's Dracula fairly closely, with a few changes. Most notably is that, although Harker/Hutter knows what Orlok/Nosferatu is, he cannot stop him; there is no stake through the heart. Rather, Nosferatu dies because he is drawn to Nina/Ellen so strongly that he strays from his coffin too long and meets the dawn disappearing in a puff of smoke.

What makes Nosferatu a classic is that it is one of the best remaining examples of the Der Sturm expressionist movement, not only in look, but also in the themes that it explores beyond the traditional tale. Appearance-wise, the harsh contrasts of light and dark, walls that defy perspective, and use of ugliness to depict evil are all hallmarks of the expressionist style. But there is also a preoccupation with perception, sleep, and dreams that are central to German horror of the time.

The basic premise behind many Der Sturm movies is that reality is in the eye of the beholder. Nosferatu is hideous because his hideous nature manifests in others seeing him as repellently ugly. He moves like a corpse, his arms and spine rigid as if rigor mortis has set in; his skin is grey with death. Jonathan/Hutter is soft and pale, as is Nina/Ellen, beautiful because their souls are beautiful and they are perceived as young and innocent. Nosferatu's castle is oversized and overbearing, as the evil of the vampire is overwhelming.

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The addition of Le Vampire is an entertaining decision. This documentary tells of real life vampire animals, in the Chaco forest, home of the vampire bat. We see it walk, stalk its victim, and drain an incredible amount of blood from its host. The bat itself is a picture of real-surrealism, with its odd nose and lip giving it a sinister appearance. All in all, a good parallel with these two classics of the German cinema

Length:: 0:34 Mins

A chronicle of the Great Death in Wisborg.

The story of "Nosferatu" is one of gothic horror, sensuality and ultimately, death. Unlike Bram Stoker's "Dracula", the events in the movie take place, not in London, but in Bremen, Germany during the 1830's.

We are lucky to have "Nosferatu". All copies were ordered destroyed in 1923. "Nosferatu" was deemed the product of plagerism, an unlicensed version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". Stoker's widow sued the movie producers until they were out of business and the court ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed.

Fortunately for us, copies were hidden away in the dark recesses of cinematheques and it is from these reels that we can see, what is considered the world's first horror film.

The story is familiar, however the style and characters are rooted in German Expressionism. Nosferatu was one of a handful of films that expanded the language of cinema in ways that had not yet been explored and resonate influentially to the movies of today.



Vampyr ranks in many circles as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, the story concerns a mysterious series of killings, committed by a crone of a female vampire (Henriette Gerard). The story is told through the eyes of a holiday reveller (Julian West), who at first scoffs at the notion of a supernatural murderer, but who is eventually forced to believe that there are more things in heaven and earth

Allan Gray (Julian West), a young student of the occult (who, the opening titles inform us, has been driven almost insane by his researches into vampirism and demonology) arrives at a small French town late one evening. The inn where he decides to spend the night is full of unlit passageways, sinister blind men, strange noises and paintings of Death personified...

Max Schreck's horror classic is still the best horror film today. The only problem with the silent classic is that it ends quickly and could have closed with a satisfactory ending.It could have brought closure to the characters better.The film-story seems to be a mixture of gothic vampire tales of the day.The intensity of the Count turned evening ghoul is perfect.Yet,no real female character development among the few shown.The story could have ended with the Vampyre turning back into the Count and then a pile of dust.Here,no stake to the heart or garlands of knoblach garlic.Nosferatu is a fiend who wants to destroy the populace through plagued rats.The zombie victims would then became his new blood suppliers.A ghost ship sails into Bremen-hafen,Germany.The sailors ,victims of the 'schwartz-pest'-'Black Plague, found dead.The imprisoned mad-doctor reads a swiped newspaper ,stating the problem of the epidemic.The doctor feels vindicated,yet it appears too late.The doctor's pleas to the keckermeister-prison guard ,fall on deaf ears.This is great film,that could have been better.Maybe financial concerns cut the film's production short.When the film was released,it was a hit.But,the estate of Bram Stoker sued to have the film destroyed,and won the case.Yet,the plot is similar,it is foolish to say the works are the same.And I'm glad this gothic silent classic survives.Max Schreck could have developed better vampire sequels,yet he was concerned over more expensive lawsuits over creative infringment based on a copy-righted literary character.These vampyre characters are quite different.Schreck's ghoulish gaunt golem is ghastly,clumsy and ugly.Stoker's suave vampyre is adroit,seductive and romantic.See it for it's historical value,it's an amazing silent classic.