Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) – Episode 104 – Decades of Horror 1970s

"Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death." Was Count Dracula talking about working with Mr. Kinski? Oh, wait. He was Mr. Kinski! Join your faithful Grue Crew - Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they check out yet another 1979 film telling the story of the undead count, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 104 – Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.

- IMDb

 

• Writer/Director: Werner Herzog
• Featured Cast
  • Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula
  • Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker
  • Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Harker
  • Roland Topor as Renfield
  • Walter Ladengast as Dr. Abraham Van Helsing
  • Martje Grohmann as Mina
  • Dan van Husen as Warden
  • Jan Groth as Harbormaster
  • Carsten Bodinus as Schrader

What do you know? The Decades of Horror 1970s Grue-Crew takes on another vampire film from 1979. Doc thinks Kinski’s Nosferatu is lacking a certain force of personality. (Pssst! He actually uses a couple of very different words.) Roland Topor’s portrayal of Renfield trips Chad’s trigger, especially with his laugh. Jeff is impressed with Herzog’s cinematic eye and compares some of the scenes in Nosferatu the Vampyre with those of Nosferatu (1922). Bill gives his views on Kinski the man and Kinski the actor - hint: they are not the same - and discusses the differences in the story as told in Nosferatu the Vampyre and in the story as told in other Dracula films. Of course, their appreciation of Isabelle Adjani goes without saying, but don’t get them started on Herzog’s version of Van Helsing!

All-in-all, the 70s Grue-Crew thinks Nosferatu the Vampyre is a must-watch for most horror fans. Listeners might also want to check out Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 21 - Nosferatu (1922).

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be - yes, it’s another vampire film - The Vampire Doll (1970), the first film in Toho’s Bloodthirsty Trilogy. 

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [e-mail].