Vampire in Venice

Nosferatu (dir. F. W. Murnau, 1922) is regarded as a masterpiece. To be honest, I enjoyed Werner Herzog's remake (1979) far more - Klaus Kinski's performance in the title role was perfect; repellent and charismatic in equal measure. So I've been looking forward to seeing this hard-to-get-hold-of "sequel" for years.

Oh dear, what a disappointment. This film is a confused mess.

If "Vampire in Venice" were less conventional, it could be Art-house or Surrealist Cinema. And then its fogginess might be to its advantage. But... it just isn't.

Whereas its' predecessors were directed with a spark of genius, "Vampire in Venice" had a history of directorial dithering - and boy does it show. Despite some excellent cinematography, great sets and a (potentially) strong cast, the film is so weakly directed that it falls apart almost immediately. The cast is wasted. The plot is incongruous. The characters are under-developed and their motivations are anyones' guess. The whole is deeply unsatisfying. Of course, Barabara De Rossi is utterly gorgeous, Plummer has some gravitas and Kinski is OK, but without a firm hand at the rudder, we are on a gondola to nowhere.

Only the film's few saving graces allowed me to watch to the end. One for the curious only, I fear.

I recently watched the Italian film 🇮🇹 Nosferatu in Venice (1985) on Prime. The storyline follows a man tracking down Nosferatu and arriving in Venice, where he believes the vampire is hiding. He hears tales that Nosferatu wishes to die, and the man is willing to help him achieve that goal.

The film is co-directed by Augusto Caminito (White Hunter) and Klaus Kinski (Paganini), who also stars in the film. It also features performances from Barbara De Rossi (Blood Ties), Yorgo Voyagis (Frantic), Elvire Audray (Ironmaster), Christopher Plummer (12 Monkeys), and Donald Pleasence (Halloween).

Overall, this is a very average movie, but there were some elements that I enjoyed. The opening arrival sequence and overall cinematography are gorgeous, with the beautiful settings in Venice adding a lot to the visuals. The storyline is fairly straightforward and not overly imaginative. The kills are average, and the horror elements rely more on setting and atmosphere, though there is a fun fall scene. The background music does a solid job of establishing the mood. The female lead is stunning, and there's some classic Italian nudity. While the poetic ending didn't quite land for me as intended, there was a fun twist that I appreciated.

In conclusion, Nosferatu in Venice is an average addition to the horror genre but might be worth watching for horror enthusiasts looking for something different. I'd give this a 5/10 and recommend it only with the appropriate expectations.

In VAMPIRE IN VENICE, Professor Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer) is obsessed with tracking down the infamous blood-drinker of the title (Klaus Kinski). When Catalano finds a strange family in Venice, who were originally from Transylvania, he believes he's hit pay dirt.

This leads to the backstory being told, while Donald Pleasence makes an appearance.

When a medium is called in, resulting in a seance, the so-called "Prince of Putridity" returns! Death and doom are the result!

Kinski is quite convincing and threatening in his undead role. His interesting facial features have always made him the perfect villain, whether in horror or crime thrillers. He pulls off being pure eeevil with ease! Plummer is doggedly heroic as the Van Helsing-like Catalano.

While not a bad movie, it does tend to drag on interminably in spots...

I haven't seen this film for years but it has left lasting images and atmospheres in my mind. I seem to recall the score being really interesting aswell. The camera and cinematography from what i can remember was amazing.- Showing gondalas sailing through the fog in Venice, a stunning location to say the least. It also boasts one of the prettiest actress's ever, in the shape of De Rossi. All this together with Kinski creeping around as Nosferatu makes for essential viewing.

A vampire hunter (Christopher Plummer) goes to Venice where the infamous vampire Nosferatu (Klaus Kinski) was last seen 2 centuries ago, and soon Old Two Teeth starts biting necks again, as old habits die hard. Traditional methods like sunlight or the sign of the cross do not scare Nosferatu, but it is said the love of a virgin might be dangerous to him, is any of the ladies interested?

It's not a good movie, it's not a bad movie, it simply is a pile of various bits and pieces, ranging from genius to rubbish. After several directors were fired, producer Caminito finished the movie somehow - I imagine it must have been a case of "it's better to make a painful break than draw out the agony". Venice, however, is a perfect setting for a vampire movie with its ancient, dark, decaying buildings. The warm, colorful carnival scenes provide stark contrast for the cold blue light of the early morning chases when Nosferatu is looking for victims. Unfortunately, when the tension is rising, often something ridiculous happens, for example the attempt to shoot the vampire with a shotgun (results in a cannonball hole to see through) which will immediately destroy the efforts. It's too clumsy to appeal to an art movie audience (who may have enjoyed Herzog's Nosferatu) and too confusing to be Saturday night fun for horror flick fans. Under the circumstances of its production, it's no surprise that 'Nosferatu a Venezia' failed, but I admit it is at least an interesting failure which is not just another vampire movie.

I watched the Italian language DVD which has no subtitles in other languages.