No less integral to Nosferatu's masterpiece status was F.W. Schreck's vampire was a thoroughly original creation, a monster far from the bloodsucking playboys of later Draculas. This inspired interpretation of Stoker's monster suggests, in an almost subconscious way, the world of death and parasitism and decay created in Stoker's novel. And Schreck's eerie, stammering, zombielike walk has since become a feature of numerous screen monsters, from the stammering gait of Frankenstein to the deliberate, determined pace of the killer Michael in Halloween (1978). His ratlike facial features also associate him with the rodents who spread the plague across Europe. An actor whose own name is German for "terror," Schreck is certainly a nightmarish apparition with his bulbous head, pointed batlike ears and long, talonlike fingers and fangs. Probably the most memorable and chilling aspect of Nosferatu is Schreck as the monster. Nina reads in a book of vampire lore that the only way to stop the beast is for a virtuous woman to spend the night with him, thus sacrificing herself for the good of her society. Like Stoker's Count Dracula, whose implicit physical lust expressed the repressed sexual desires of the Victorian era, Murnau's Nosferatu also had a sexual component, in suggesting the only cure for Orlok's evil is the untainted sexuality of a good woman. After seeing a picture of Hutter's wife, Orlok travels via ship to Hutter's village of Wisborg to taste the lovely, white neck of Nina (Greta Schroeder). Hutter travels to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count where he is attacked by Orlok's nightcrawling, vampire alter ego. Murnau's unauthorized adaptation of Stoker's seminal vampire story (the first film adaptation) is the horrifying figure of Count Orlok (Max Schreck), a nobleman who wants to buy a deserted house in the Carpathian Mountains adjacent to that of Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim). For Nosferatu, screenwriter Henrik Galeen relocated Stoker's story from London to 1838 Bremen and changed his characters' names in order to evade copyright law.Īt the center of F.W. A tale of an undead "Count Dracula" with a taste for blood, Dracula mixed Eastern European folktales with the real-life exploits of the 15th-century Prince Vlad the Impaler, who reportedly speared 100,000 of his citizens to death. Stoker's 1897 novel formed the foundation for an astounding body of film and literature concerned with the vampire. The film was then altered further for its 1929 American release, making the search for the "original," "uncut" Nosferatu a film historian's obsession. Wanting to distance themselves from the film, the producers of Nosferatu sold it to Deutsche Film Produktion who edited the film without Murnau's consent. The lawsuit over Nosferatu has haunted the film's history. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922) was almost kept from the screen when the widow of Bram Stoker, Florence, sued the German producers for unauthorized use of her husband's novel, Dracula. This deluxe re-release of the official score to the 1985 cult-classic horror film features 180 Gram Hand Poured colored vinyl, new gatefold packaging with additional artwork by Ghoulish Gary Pullin, printed inner sleeves, exclusive liner notes by director Stuart Gordon, exclusive composer liner notes by Richard Band, behind the scenes photos from the film set and score recording session, and a bonus 12"x18" poster.One of the most foreboding and influential horror films in the history of cinema, F.W. Here's what the official press release has to say about the upcoming release: This is the album that started it all for Waxwork Records and was originally released in 2013 as our very first soundtrack album title. For those who haven't seen Stuart Gordon's iconic 1985 horror comedy, Re-Animator follows medical student Daniel Cain ( Bruce Abbott) and his fiancée Megan Halsey (Fango fave Barbara Crampton) who find themselves in trouble after his fellow medical student, Herbert West ( Jeffrey Combs), invents a drug to bring back the dead to life. This release is especially exciting for Waxwork, as back in 2013 it was their first title ever - and is the very first title pressed in house at their brand new fancy pressing plant. Lovecraft's RE-ANIMATOR Original Motion Picture Score composed and conducted by the legendary Richard Band ( From Beyond, Puppet Master, Castle Freak). Our good friends over at Waxwork Records are back with another banger for your vinyl shelf - this time with their 10th Anniversary release of H.P.
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