Spine-chilling melodies meet silent movie
The Invincible Czars’ set at The Pageant Theatre before their show alongside “Nosferatu.” Photo credit: Carly Plemons
Eerie sounds melt into a 94-year-old film where Thomas Hutter is summoned to a distant Transylvanian castle by the cryptic vampire, Count Orlok. Fear erupts into the souls of many when the Count begins to eye Hutter’s wife, Ellen, resulting in chilling chaos.
The 1922 German silent film, “Nosferatu,” is one of the most influential horror films of its time. The night of horror consisted of sound styling from the band Invincible Czars performing their original movie score alongside the unnerving vampire film at The Pageant Theatre.
The aged film about vampires instilling fear into civilians was one horror movie that would not be the same without the workings of the Invincible Czars.
Silent films are alluring. However, the idea of having to watch a whole hour and 45 minutes of silent vampires would more than likely inflict drowsiness among the attendees if some supernatural tunes weren’t keeping them at the edge of their seats.
The music featured violin, flute, saxophone, guitar and many other beautiful sounds, creating a symphonic melting pot of vampire-like vibrations. The Invincible Czars were able to make an emotional, yet entrancing connection to the film and the audience with their performance.
The way both the ghostly film and spine-chilling melodies complemented one another created an inspiring way to enjoy film and music concurrently. Sounds flowed simultaneously down every corridor and sharp squeals that the film led the viewer to.
The show was sold out during both the 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. showings. Every seat was filled to capacity resulting in a line of people waiting outside to see if a seat would open.
Clearly the film and score combination was something many people were anticipating, and the event turnout left every attendee thrilled with the show they were able to see.
When the vampire infested symphonies cascaded alongside the movie, it allowed the film to be presented in an entirely new perspective. I have never seen anything quite like this show before and it made me eager to see another.
Carly Plemons can be reached at [email protected] or @plemnz on Twitter.
