When our Music Director first told me about the idea for an Incarnate Jazz event featuring the film Nosferatu, I had no idea what he was talking about. Rather than admit my ignorance, I took to the Internet and learned that Nosferatu is an iconic 104-year-old silent vampire movie and foundational masterpiece of cinema history that revolutionized the genre of horror. Moreover, it has something to teach us about the Gospel. In fact, in 1995 the Vatican included it on a list of 45 must-see films.
I stopped myself from doing too much research because I wanted to avoid spoilers. This week, I finally got around to watching Nosferatu on YouTube. As a side note, the orchestral score is impressive. But I’m far more excited to experience the film enveloped by the haunting power of the church organ!
As for biblical themes, I found the film to be a deeply spiritual meditation on salvation. It offers a cosmic allegory about the nature of sin and the ultimate necessity of self-sacrificial love. The symbolism is overt, so I’m not giving anything away by equating Count Orlok to death, decay, and evil as contagion. The consequence of sin is so far-reaching that it becomes systemic rot, a corrupted world order.
I never got scared watching this movie. Never screamed as I normally do at contemporary horror flicks. But I was totally captivated by the eerie echo of the fall of humanity in Genesis 3. Of course, that’s not the end of the story.
For the moment, I’ll leave it at that. I definitely look forward to reflecting more after the show. Bottom line – Join us in the church for an unforgettable evening of art, faith, and music on Friday, October 30. Come hear the organ roar, watch the shadows fall, and witness the triumph of the Dawn.
Adrian+
