Film series: Nosferatu Afterlives

An image of a vampire on a ship tinted in aquamarine.

Inspired by Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (2024), Cornell Cinema is delighted to present Nosferatu Afterlives, an eclectic exploration of vampires in cinema.

Released in 1922 and directed by the prolific F.W. Murnau, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was an unauthorized film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous novel Dracula and one of the first horror films ever made. It follows the young and ambitious estate agent Thomas Hutter sent to Transylvania to meet the sinister Count Orlock, who wishes to take up residence in the town where Thomas lives with his wife Ellen. The film was nearly lost after copies were ordered to be destroyed due to copyright infringement, but prints survived and Murau's expressionist nightmare has continued to inspire new adaptations in the decades since, setting the playbook for how vampires behave and how they look.

Our Cornell Cinema series will explore the varied ways this bloodthirsty tale has been imagined and reimagined by filmmakers over the past century. From Jaromil Jireš's psychedelic coming-of-age story Valerie and Her Week of Wonders to atmospheric teen dramas like Twilight and Let the Right One In, our series traces the ways that the Nosferatu story has continued to serve as generative fodder for filmmakers interested in exploring love and lust, gothic horror, and encounters with the occult.

You will also have the chance to experience the original Nosferatu with a fun modern twist: Radiohead’s "KID A (2000) / Amnesiac" (2001) as its score. Featuring: