Reconnecting German cinema with its Weimer forebears via Murnau’s iconic Nosferatu (1922), Herzog’s vampire film references its predecessor but has a distinctive temperament. Dracula, played by the stunning Klaus Kinski, is modelled on the monster of the earlier film, yet his obsession with Isabelle Adjani’s character of Lucy Harker reveals a certain pathos, even as his army of rats wreck plague and delirium on a prosperous small town.
Herzog’s images and Popul Vuh’s music combine to create a darkly hypnotic and seductive experience.