SHEALY & SHEALYS 31 GHASTLY DAYS OF GRUESOMENESS OFOURTEEN! 10/18 - 10/19 - NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979) - 8.1/10 DRACULA (1979) - 7.3/10 So these are both remakes of the classic DRACULA and NOSFERATU films, and they each have something to add to this classic vampire myth. First of all, Werner Herzogs NOSFERATU is so heavy on atmosphere, and that alone keeps the tension going strong throughout. Secondly, Klaus Kinski is super creepy as Nosferatu, and, having been a fan of the original silent film, hearing him actually speak just gives me the chills. And something about that final scene, where he just keeps sucking Isabelle Adjanis blood over and over until the sun rises, dooming himself, is so animalistic and vermin-like that you just cant shake it. Frank Langellas DRACULA, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. This is the suave, romantic version of Dracula, who gets all the ladies wrapped around his finger with his sweet talking. On a personal note, this was the first horror movie I was ever allowed to see, back when I was probably 8 or 9, and the scenes of Dracula climbing up and down the walls of Lucy Harkers house ended up giving me get-out-of-bed-and-cry-it-out nightmares for either 2 or 3 consecutive nights. Sorry, Dad. Upon viewing it again, uh, Ill keep you posted. Anyway, this one has its cheesy moments, and the final third moves a bit fast, but its still one of the better entries into the Dracula canon, and certainly better than the Francis Ford Coppola version, IMO. In the end, while neither film is what I would call scary, NOSFERATU wins because of its sheer German creepiness.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 04:19:56 +0000