Nosferatu the Vampyre (German title: Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht) is the 1979 remake of the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu. Unlike the earlier film, this was made after Bram Stoker's Dracula had entered the public domain, thereby allowing for the use of the original character names from the novel. Directed by Werner Herzog, the film stars Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula, Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker, and Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Harker.
During the 19th century in Wismar, Germany, estate agent Jonathan Harker is instructed by his employer Renfield that one Count Dracula wishes to purchase some property in the city. Against the warnings of his wife Lucy, Jonathan travels to Dracula's castle in Transylvania to complete the transaction. Upon meeting the grotesque count, Jonathan begins to suspect that Dracula might actually be a blood-sucking vampire. His revelation comes too late, however, as Dracula stows himself away on a ship to transport himself to Wismar and infests the city with a horde of plague-carrying rats. Lucy soon learns of the source of the plague and plans to put an end to the undead Count.
The film takes many cues from the 1922 original, following the basic beats of the plot and similar iconography. However, there were many additions made to expand upon both the story and the characters, including a more tragic depiction of the eponymous vampire. At the urging of the film's U.S. distributor 20th Century Fox, Herzog shot two different versions of the film: one in German and the other in English.
Nosferatu the Vampyre provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Lucy, who goes about studying vampires, warning the townsfolk about Dracula, crumbling holy wafers into Dracula's coffin, and leaving a circle of holy wafers around Jonathan.
- Adaptational Dumbass: Van Helsing in this version doesn't believe in vampires. This is in contrasted to every other version of Dracula where he not only believes in vampires, but is the one who figures it out before everyone else what is causing all the terror.
- Adaptational Wimp: Van Helsing is all but useful here, so Lucy has to take down Dracula herself.
- Adaptation Name Change: In this version, Orlok is actually called Dracula. Oddly, Lucy and Mina trade names, with Lucy being Harker's beloved and Mina being her friend that is killed by the vampire.
- Adaptation Personality Change: In the original, Orlok was a pure evil vampire who enjoyed his lifestyle and had no regrets of being one. Here, Dracula is portrayed more sympathetically as a Tortured Monster and Affably Evil. Crosses over with Adaptational Nice Guy, as Dracula is completely genuine in his politeness.
- Adaptational Location Change: As in the 1922 film, Dracula chooses Germany as his new base rather than England as in the original novel.
- Adapted Out: As in the 1922 film, Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, and the vampire brides are not in the film. This time, Dr. Seward is absent as well.
- Affably Evil: Dracula always speaks kindly and politely. In particular, he has a nice conversation with Harker when he welcomes him in the castle.Dracula: Please, help yourself. Please, I'm afraid you must dine alone. It's nearly midnight and I partake of nothing at this hour. Unfortunately, the servants are not at our disposal. So allow me to see to your comfort.
- Agent Scully: Surprisingly, Dr. Van Helsing, who in this version dismisses Lucy's talk of vampires as superstitious nonsense.
- All for Nothing: Despite Lucy sacrificing her life to stop Dracula and Van Helsing staking Dracula for good measures, it is still too late as Jonathan has fully turned into a vampire and will continue to spread the plague
- The Bad Guy Wins: In a way. Dracula is slain, but he manages to pass his curse onto Jonathan, who has Van Helsing arrested, then rides off to an uncertain future.
- Bald of Evil: The Count is deathly white and completely hairless.
- Bedsheet Ladder: How Harker makes his escape from Dracula's castle, stringing his bedsheets together. Unfortunately he didn't have quite enough bedsheets, and he takes a heavy landing.
- Blatant Lies: When Harker asks to go to Dracula's castle, the coachman tells that he has no coach and no horse, even if the coach and the horses are right next to him.
- Blood Lust: This is naturally a big part of the plot. The best example is when Harker accidentally cuts his finger while eating dinner with the Count, and Dracula struggles mightily (and fails) to contain himself even around a tiny, superficial wound.
- Catapult Nightmare: The opening credit sequence of mummies and a slow-motion bat is apparently a nightmare of Lucy's, and she wakes up screaming in classic style.
- Cobweb of Disuse: When Jonathan goes exploring in his first morning in Dracula's castle, he finds several guest rooms, all heavily cobwebbed. Presumably it's been a long time since Dracula entertained.
- Cock-a-Doodle Dawn: The book of vampire lore that Lucy consults specifically states that a pure-hearted woman must distract the vampire from "the cry of the cock." Sure enough, there's a rooster crowing the dawn somewhere in town, as Dracula feeds on Lucy in the final scene.
- Composite Character: Van Helsing takes over some traits originally from Dr. Seward, such as observing Renfield in the asylum.
- Creator Cameo: Werner Herzog is the man who sticks his foot into the coffin and gets his toe bitten by a rat.
- Creepy Long Fingers: Dracula being made up to look like Orlok in the 1922 film, he also has the creepy long fingers that contribute to his frightening appearance.
- Cuddle Bug: Renfield adores Dracula, having been driven insane and manipulated by the Count into a minion of sorts. He timidly leans into Dracula's arm at one point, and is briskly shaken off like a dog does to a flea.
- Cute Kitten: A pair of them are seen at Jonathan and Lucy's house in the opening scene.
- Death by Adaptation: Mina who is already Demoted to Extra by virtue of swapping most of his characterization with Lucy (despite being the lead in Dracula) falls victim to Count Dracula.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the original film, Orlok is killed by sunlight, while in the novel, Quincey Morris kills Dracula by driving a knife through his heart. Here, the sunlight cripples Orlock, while Van Helsing finishes him off with a stake through the heart.
- Dies Wide Open:
- Un-dies wide open. Harker goes exploring again in the daytime, and eventually finds Dracula in one of his coffins—eyes wide open and unseeing.
- A straight example with poor Mina, lying dead on the floor of her house, Dracula's bite marks in her neck.
- Downer Ending: Lucy is dead, Van Helsing is arrested for killing Dracula, and Harker is now a vampire who will presumably continue to spread death and disease. Lucy's sacrifice ultimately meant nothing.
- Dramatic Drop: When Jonathan mentions to someone at a restaurant that he's headed for Castle Dracula, the locals in the room react with concerned muttering, and even some kitchenware is dropped and broken.
- Face–Heel Turn: At the end of the film, Jonathan has succumbed to his vampire bites and become one himself. He sets out on horseback to spread the plague and basically picks up where Dracula left off.
- Fainting: When Jonathan finally returns to Lucy, but doesn't recognize her, she faints.
- Gothic Horror: This film is a great example. So many dramatic shots of the countryside, castles, bits of antiquated culture and a gloomy energy throughout. It's far from any modern or glamourized representation of the Dracula story.
- Haunted Castle: Dracula's castle is a supernaturally charged place that bends the laws of physics and messes with Jonathan's head (and Renfield's before him). It is inhabited by ghosts, and between scenes it actually changes physical appearance to that of ancient ruins.
- Heartbeat Soundtrack: Heard over the opening credit sequence showing mummified bodies.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: A jailer gets tricked by Renfield and is locked inside the jail cell with his own key, as Renfield runs off cackling hysterically.
- Laughing Mad:
- Renfield is constantly seized by fits of insane laughter.
- It's an understated example, but Jonathan's sarcastic chuckle as Lucy reads out loud about vampire lore is a major sign that he's turning.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Notably, Lucy letting down her long, lustrous hair seems to be the cue for Dracula to make his entrance into her bedroom.
- Looks Like Orlok:
- This being a remake of Nosferatu, Dracula is made up to, well, look like Orlok. He has the same bald head, pointy rat's teeth, sunken eyes, and Creepy Long Fingers. This, like the 1922 film, is a departure from the suave, handsome vampires that probably started with Bela Lugosi and make up so much of the rest of vampire fiction.
- The last scene confirms that Jonathan has turned full vampire, by showing him having the Orlok rat teeth and the creepy long fingernails as well.
- Madness Mantra: The iconic "the blood is the life" quote is now this for Renfield, who has gone totally mad and keeps giggling and muttering "Blut is Leben" after he's thrown into an asylum.
- Missing Reflection: Dracula comes to Lucy one night while she's brushing her hair, and remains invisible in the mirror as he creeps up behind her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Van Helsing has this reaction when he realizes too late Lucy was right.
- Mythology Gag: Dracula hears some wolves howling and delivers, in German, Bela Lugosi's famous line from the 1931 Dracula: "Listen, the children of the night (die Kinder der Nacht), what music they make."
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Van Helsing upon realizing Lucy was right, makes sure to finish off Dracula by staking him. This just leads to a now nearly turned vampire Jonathan having him arrested for murder.
- Off-into-the-Distance Ending: Ends with Vampire Jonathan riding off on a horse, presumably to spread plague and death elsewhere.
- Phantasy Spelling: For the international English-language title, anyway, Nosferatu the Vampyre.
- The Plague: Those who aren't directly involved with or attacked by Dracula are still threatened on a more grand scale by the deadly disease (presumably The Black Death) he spreads everywhere, aided by huge swarms of rats brought into Wismar on his transport ship. By the end of the film, people are dropping dead in large numbers.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Lucy (Isabelle Adjani).
- Roguish Romani: Dracula is better enabled through his corrupt arrangement with some of the gypsies living nearby, providing him with a cheap labour pool for laborious tasks as well as a supply of victims for his Blood Lust. They're aware he's evil, and Jonathan is warned sternly by some of the gypsies to avoid the Count and his property.
- Sequel Hook: A vampirized Jonathan Harker rides off into the horizon on horseback across a windswept, sandy expanse. However, while a semi-sequel (Vampire in Venice) did end up being made, it abandoned any further focus on Harker's plot thread.
- Spooky Animal Sounds: Wolves are heard howling during dinner on Harker's first night at the castle. It makes an already painfully quiet and awkward occasion into a truly creepy one.
- Stock Footage: The exceedingly difficult slow-motion shots of a bat in flight were not shot by Herzog's crew but borrowed from a scientific documentary.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Van Helsing stakes Dracula and ends up getting arrested for killing a foreign dignitary. Even if he knows Dracula was a vampire, to everyone else, it looks like he just murdered a innocent mannote .
- Swarm of Rats: Dracula can transform himself into one, and does so to avoid detection by the ship's captain who is loading up the coffins. He does so again to get off the ship. Apparently becoming a swarm of rats also allows him to move about in the daylight. He also commands the rats and Renfield actually calls him "the lord of the rats". Near the end of the film the rats have gotten completely out of control, nearly covering the town square.
- Tortured Monster: Dracula is a sad, lonely creature tormented by his inability to grow old or feel loved. There's not a minute that goes by where his voice isn't dripping with the misery that comes with living a long, endless life.
- Undead Child: The boy seen and heard hanging around Dracula's castle playing a fiddle, quickly and mysteriously disappears. It is implied he is a ghost, and one of the Count's many victims taken from the local gypsy community.
- Villainous Crush: Dracula falls for Lucy when he sees her portrait in a medallion.
- While Rome Burns: After society has almost completely broken down due to the plague, Lucy sees some people dancing and feasting among the coffins and rats.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: A major theme. It's not so much that he's outliving his loved ones, it's that no one could ever love a monster like him. And living forever, eternally unloved, is almost unbearable. It's possibly the most tragic interpretation of the Dracula story ever.
- You Are Too Late: Lucy succeeds in killing Count Dracula via a Heroic Sacrifice, but Jonathan Harker is already a vampire and escapes at film's end. Adding insult to injury, the police arrest Van Helsing for Dracula's "murder"!
