Creepy classic thriller 'Nosferatu' to screen at Flying Monkey on Thursday, Oct. 22

PLYMOUTH — Get into the Halloween spirit with a classic silent film thriller.

"Nosferatu" (1922), the first screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," will be shown with live music on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 S. Main St. in Plymouth.

The screening, the latest in the Flying Monkey's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Tickets may be purchased online at flyingmonkeynh.com or at the door.

The show will allow movie fans to experience "Nosferatu" the way it was intended to be seen: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"Nosferatu" (1922), directed by German filmmaker F.W. Murnau, remains a landmark of the cinematic horror genre. It was among the first movies to use visual design to convey unease and terror.

To modern viewers, the passage of time has made "Nosferatu" seem even more strange and otherworldly. It's an atmosphere that silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis will enhance by improvising live music on the spot for the screening.

"The original 'Nosferatu' is a film that seems to get creepier as more time goes by," said Rapsis, a resident of Bedford, who accompanies silent film screenings at venues across the nation. "It's a great way to celebrate Halloween and the power of silent film to transport audiences to strange and unusual places."

In "Nosferatu," actor Max Schreck portrays the title character, a mysterious count from Transylvania who travels to the German city of Bremen to take up residence. In the town, a rise in deaths from the plague is attributed to the count's arrival. Only when a young woman reads "The Book of Vampires" does it become clear how to rid the town of this frightening menace.

Director Murnau told the story with strange camera angles, weird lighting, and special effects that include sequences deliberately speeded up.

Although "Nosferatu" is suitable for all family members, the overall program may be too intense for very young children to enjoy.

In screening "Nosferatu" at the Flying Monkey, organizers aim to show early cinema as it was meant to be seen — in restored prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Rapsis. "Recreate those conditions, and classics of early cinema such as 'Nosferatu' leap back to life in ways that audiences still find entertaining."

The classic early horror thriller "Nosferatu" will be shown with live music on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, at 39 S. Main St.

Tickets may be purchased online at flyingmonkeynh.com or at the door.