SCREENING IN THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
“This is a pinnacle of horror cinema: atmospheric, rhapsodic and — especially in the slow-burn confrontations between Lucy and her otherworldly inamorato — achingly transcendent.”
107 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Werner Herzog. In German, English, and Romanian with English subtitles. DCP.
Werner Herzog’s only horror film is as rich with artistry and tragedy as his most grounded, human work. It is 1850 in the beautiful, perfectly-kept town of Wismar. Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz, Downfall; Wings of Desire) is leaving on a long journey over the Carpathian Mountains to finalize real estate arrangements with a wealthy nobleman. His wife Lucy (Possession’s Isabelle Adjani) begs him not to go and is troubled by a strong premonition of danger. Despite her warnings, Jonathan arrives four weeks later at a large, gloomy castle. Out of the mist appears a pale, wraith-like figure with deep-sunken eyes who identifies himself as Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski). The events that transpire slowly convince Harker that he is in the presence of a vampire. Even still, he doesn’t realize the magnitude of danger he, his wife and his town are about to experience.