I have been a film aficionado for a long time. My father brought me up on classics like David Lean's adaptations of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations as well as the various black and white classic comedies of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. However, I became interested in cult TV series and films whilst attending University. Our campus was media-centered and as a result it had a huge catalogue of videos to rent, free of charge; I ploughed through many often taking the maximum 8 out at a time and consumed them voraciously.

As a result, I believe I am quite literate in films and TV but Nosferatu, the German Expressionist masterpiece is like the Rosetta Stone. Over 100 years old and nearly obliterated from history, this masterpiece still haunts my dreams with its otherworldly imagery. I've seen it on film and DVD at home lots of times but never on the big screen. A chance to see it on the big screen at my local theatre was too good to pass up. Throw in a live score and it was a must watch for me, so I quickly booked a ticket for just myself... this was a bit too niche for even my wife who still hadn't forgiven me dragging her to the Werner Herzog documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams over 10 years ago in Cambodia.

So, on a cold, dark Monday night I descended on the Teignmouth Pavilion, wondering what the audience would be like. I picked up my ticket and saw that there was a small group of about 30 people with the average age of 60. I was one of the youngest member in the audience apart from a couple of teenagers who came along with their elders.

The film itself is a masterpiece of early cinema, mixing humour like, 'She has a beautiful neck,' when Orlok sees a picture of Ellen (a Mina Harker-a-like) or when we see Orlok using his powers to carry the coffins onto a carriage before using his powers to get the horses to gallop, to full on dread like when Orlok rises from the coffin in the ship and the crew are slowly picked off. When the title card read, ‘The ship of death had a new captain,’ and I saw Orlok on the ship, which was slowly moving forward under his evil influence, it sent shivers down my spine.

All through this, the music by Chris Green enhanced the experience and offered a new way to appreciate the hundred year old movie. As the blueish tint gave way to a yellow hue it felt ethereal on the big screen. I have had a copy of the dvd at home since the late 90s but that had a different musical track so seeing this new soundtracked version certainly was a boon.

Overall, I loved the experience and hope that many more events like this come to our local pavilion theatre; it's a way for people to appreciate old classics and brings the media to a new audience.

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- Nintendo: My One True Gaming Constant

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review