Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

100 years ago on March 4th, 1922, F. W. Murnau’s classic horror film NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR premiered at Berlin, Germany’s zoological gardens. Almost instantly, this film became a cultural icon, but not without controversy. The estate of Bram Stoker, author of the book “Dracula,” sued the studio that produced “Nosferatu” over copyright claims. The “Nosferatu” filmmakers had changed some things, including character names — Count Dracula became Count Orlok, for example — to try and bypass any direct links to “Dracula.” But that didn’t stop a court ruling from ordering all copies of “Nosferatu” be destroyed in the case won by Stoker’s estate. Some copies of the film survived, but the original score was lost.

For this special screening, local composer and performer Tom Roberts will create and perform live an original score for the film. "It doesn't scare us, but it haunts us. It shows not that vampires can jump out of shadows, but that evil can grow there, nourished on death." - Roger Ebert.