Recently there has been news of a remake of Suspiria on the horizon, 40 years after the original we will be seeing a new version hit the screens. The original Suspiria is one of my all time favourite horror films, so naturally when I first heard news of the remake, I wasn't too happy. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of remakes, a lot of the time they lack the spirit and the originality of their source material, generally doing nothing for the franchise and eventually fading off into obscurity. However, having said that I do not agree with the common misconception that 'all remakes are bad'. While there are some truly awful remakes like Rob Zombies Halloween films and that terrible House of Wax remake with Paris Hilton, there are some that manage to live up to the original and, on rare occasions, even surpass it. In this series of 5 posts I will be looking at those remakes that are actually quite good and do the original films justice. And to start it all off, I'll be looking at one of my all time favourite remakes: Nosferatu the Vampyre.
The Original
What makes this film interesting is the fact that the original is actually an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. However, as director F.W. Murnau could not obtain the rights to Stoker's novel, he was forced to change certain aspects of the story such as character names, locations and the appearance of the Count in order to set his film apart from it. The final result was a true masterpiece of German expressionist cinema, memorable for its haunting visuals and Max Shreck's performance as the horrific Count Orlock. Nosferatu has since become an iconic piece of cinema and is often considered one of the most influential horror films of the silent era. While it was met with initial controversy by some who felt that Murnau ripped off Stoker's novel, it's safe to say that time has been kind to Nosferatu and it is now thought to be one of the greatest horror films of all time.
Since the films release in 1922, there have been countless 'official' adaptations of Stoker's novels, starring the likes of Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Udo Kier in the titular role. However, despite this, Count Orlok managed to stand alone as his own character, his tall, rat-like appearance contrasting Dracula's usually charming demeanor. Because of this, people generally don't associate Orlok with Dracula and tend to regard them as two separate characters. It became clear that Nosferatu had become iconic in its own right, gaining praise and admiration from numerous filmmakers, one of which was Werner Herzog.
The Remake
By the time Werner Herzog decided to adapt Dracula to the big screen himself, the character had come into the public domain, which meant that there were no complications with rights. While Herzog took advantage of this to use the character names from the book, he opted against making what would have been another in a long line of Dracula movies. Instead, he decided to pay homage to Murnau's Nosferatu, which he felt was one of the greatest films to ever come out of his native Germany. The film was eventually released in 1979, with Herzog shooting both an English language and German language version simultaneously while using the same cast. It starred Bruno Ganz as Johnathan Harker, Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker (Mina in the novel), and Klaus Kinski as the sinister Count Dracula. However, this version was Dracula in name alone, as his bald head, sharp nails and rat-like fangs gave him the appearance of Count Orlok. This was not just another Dracula adaptation, it was Nosferatu the Vampyre, a film that would act as a remake and tribute to Murnau's masterpiece.
What it Does Right
First of all, Herzog manages to create this consistently eerie atmosphere throughout. About 20 minutes in there is a sequence that sees Johnathan make his way to Dracula's castle, passing through gloomy forests and rural landscapes in the process. Throughout this scene, there is this constant feeling that Harker is being watched, that someone is following him. The way in which Herzog shot the scene, accompanied by the chilling score from Popol Vuh creates this unsettling sense of paranoia for the duration of the sequence, leaving us in anticipation for what happens next. While nothing scary actually does happen, it is that atmosphere created by Herzog that makes the sequence so chilling. It is very much like the original film in this sense, creating an unnerving atmosphere of tension through imagery and lingering shots instead of attempting to do anything explicit. Another scene from the film that really stands out in terms of atmosphere, is when Lucy wanders around the rat-infested town of Wismar. The townspeople, who have become infected with the plague brought by rats, make merry in order to savour the time they have left. One group of people sit at a long table, eating a feast while the horde of rats scramble about at their feet. It's a scene that really makes your skin crawl, the image of all these rats crawling over each other juxtaposed with the merryment of the villagers was something that I found highly unsettling. Again, it's not explicitly scary, but subtly manages to get under your skin.
Much like the original film, one of the most unsettling aspects of Nosferatu the Vampyre is the Count himself, this time portrayed by Klaus Kinski. Baring resemblance to Max Shreck's Count Orlok, this version of Dracula is a pale white man with a bald head and rat like features. Kinski's mere presence onscreen is enough to chill viewers to the bone, delivering his dialogue slowly and articulately, making almost every line memorable. While this version of Dracula is terrifying to look at and brings that chilling presence with him to all of his scenes, he is different to previous portrayals of the Count. Kinski's version is much more sympathetic, portraying him as a creature plagued with loneliness and despair. He is still a monster, but at the same time he longs for something more, for companionship. Kinski is fantastic at bringing to life this side of the Count, often appearing worn out and sorrowful. He manages to bring another layer of depth to the character while maintaining that sinister demeanor that makes him so iconic.
However, the one thing that I feel makes this one of the better remakes is its profound respect for the original. Herzog is clearly a fan of Murnau's Nosferatu and he makes that clear in this film by paying homage to it numerous times. The most obvious is Kinski's appearance, created by makeup artist Reiko Kruk, he is clearly meant to resemble Count Orlok. Herzog could have went with the stereotypical, tall, dark and handsome image of Dracula, but instead he decided to recreate the grotesque image of Orlok. However, there are some more subtle references to the original film, particularly in the framing. Some of the shots from Nosferatu the Vampyre are almost identical to those in the original, one example is that image of the Count standing on the deck of the ship, the mast in the background. Another comes towards the end of the film, where the Count attempts to feed on Lucy once and for all. That shot of Kinski looming over Isabelle Adjani's neck is almost identical to the one of Shreck and Greta Schroder in the original, another one of the films most iconic images. It is clear that Herzog paid an immense amount of detail to the films framing in order to recreate some of the most iconic moments from the original, displaying how much love and respect he had for it.
This, I feel, is what makes Nosferatu the Vampyre a remake done right, its respect for the original. This film does not attempt to surpass Murnau's film, nor does it attempt to follow it step by step, instead it acts as a tribute that allows Herzog to express his sheer admiration for the original. Not only does it manage to recreate some of the imagery from the original, but it has its own gloomy visuals and distinctively eerie atmosphere to grant it its own identity. It's a film that I feel many modern remakes could learn from, not only that, but one that horror filmmakers everywhere can learn from as well. Herzog proves with Nosferatu the Vampyre that sometimes it is possible to successfully reinvent a classic.
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