There are certain archetypical stories that have always been (and will always be) with us as long as story-telling exists: the myth of the self-made man, the myth of the quest, the happy ending, the "poor girl marries prince" or "poor boy marries princess" story, the ingenuity that comes to save the day, etc. Needless to say, the epic battle between good and evil, the forces of light and darkness, is one of these archetypes that is told over and over again in different settings and backgrounds. As a matter of fact, so powerful are these archetypes that they also work their magic in our real life. How else could we understand otherwise the success of President Bush's simplistic good versus evil message? Whether these stories are unlikely or even impossible is not relevant at all. What matters is that they somehow speak to our inner selves. We, mere mortals, have a deep need to hear them, and our artists have been happy to oblige throughout the centuries, remaking the same archetypical stories over and over again.

Werner Herzog's Nosferatu is a remake of that great classic of cinema, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, by F.W. Murnau, one of the first silent films ever made (1922). The movie is loosely based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, and tells us the story of how Jonathan Harker is sent away to Transylvania to sell Count Dracula a new house in Virna, where he lives with his young wife. Jonathan ends up falling under the power of evil, and Dracula moves to Virna attracted by Harker's wife, bringing with him rats, the plague and death. It is, therefore, the traditional story about Dracula.

It has been quite a while since I saw a horror movie where I was not treated to some shrieking music every single time a scene was supposed to push me to the edge of the seat. It is sad to say this, but we have nearly reached the point where one can simply get rid of the soundtrack while watching most horror movies, sit down and relax watching blood being thrown at the screen. I suppose in a society where the judicious and educated joy of the senses has fallen by the side in the name of all sorts of excesses, directors only expect viewers to be able to react to the most gruesome, strident and cheap trickery. Herzog, on the other hand, chooses to open this movie with some stunning music written by Florian Fricke and played by Popol Vuh that plays in the background while we see the figures of rotten mommies in some catacombs, thus setting the tone for the rest of a haunting, creepy movie that manages to express the horror of the story without resorting to grisly murder and barrels of blood. As a matter of fact, in spite of its plot, we see very little violence and murder in the movie, where the constant presence of evil is stylized through Dracula's horrible pale face, a wisely insinuated atmosphere and the repellent shots of rats taking over the city.

The movie moves at a dream-like pace, creating an atmosphere that is every bit as daunting as the story it tells, although perhaps it is not prescribed for all stomachs, especially in an era when viewers are far more used to fast-paced chases in this sort of movies. As somebody pointed out when writing a comment for IMDB.com,

Herzog's film moves at the pace of a fever dream, lingering long on shots of misty mountains and majestic rivers that some (like myself) will find breathtakingly beautiful, and others will find stunningly dull. This is a shame, but in these days of ten car chases, eight explosions and five sweaty sex scenes per film, I guess no one wants to appreciate the scenery as a main character anymore. Herzog has always had a knack for this, as anyone who has seen Aguirre, the Wrath of God well knows.

The scenes in Transylvania are a good example of this. The director sends us the message that this is a haunted region of the planet, we know that its inhabitants are sentenced to live with some terrible omen even though we are not clearly told so. The images are all we need.

Nosferatu is, stylistically speaking, an excellent movie. It does contain many references to Murnau's original movie, especially in the internal design and decoration of Dracula's castle which is full of the expressionist touch that the silent film had. The same can be said of certain shots of the vampire, as when the monster gets ready to attack his victim. The whole scene is clearly disposed in a way to remind us of Murnau's film. Nevertheless, Herzog also introduced some slight changes in the name of artistic independence. For example, Dracula's rat-like face goes hand in hand with the importance of the rats in this movie, where the vampires are nearly non-existent. That is definitely a breach of tradition when it comes to Dracula's remakes. Altogether, this is a good movie, although Renfield's laughter can get on the viewer's nerves at times. It is definitely something Herzog could have done without.

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Entertainment factor:6/10
Artistic factor:7/10

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