Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Werner Herzog’s 1979 Nosferatu the Vampyre is a haunting, melancholic retelling of Dracula: Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski) leaves Transylvania for the German port town of Wismar, bringing with him coffins of earth, swarms of rats and a spreading plague. Estate agent Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) travels to the count’s castle to finalize a sale, and back home his young wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) becomes the focus of Dracula’s unnatural longing — and the town’s slow slide into death. Seeing the film is less about jump scares and more about atmosphere: expect slow, elegiac pacing, expressionistic, almost painterly visuals, and a pervasive sense of doom and loneliness. Herzog treats the vampire as a tragic, cursed figure unable to age or die, which gives the horror a contemplative, sorrowful edge. The film balances moments of genuine terror (rats, plague, and chilling physical menace) with quiet, poetic sequences and an eerie, meditative score. Performances are intense and unsettling — Kinski’s gaunt, animal-like Dracula is both repulsive and pitiable, while Adjani brings fragile purity to Lucy’s role. Overall this is art-house Gothic horror: visually striking, emotionally bleak, and unnerving rather than sensational. Recommended for viewers who appreciate slow-burning, atmospheric films and a mournful, literary take on vampire myth; those seeking fast-paced thrills or conventional scares may find it deliberately spare.

Actors: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz

Director: Werner Herzog

Runtime: 107 min

Genres: Drama, Horror

7.1 /10 79 /100 7.4 /10 7.5 /10