San Antonio musicians performing score for vampire classic Nosferatu on Thursday

Although an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) is widely considered the first vampire film.

Shot with a single camera, the film is a scrappy but efficient example of German Expressionist cinema. Large sections of the score, originally composed by Hans Erdmann and performed by an orchestra at the film’s premiere, have been lost over time. Only partial adapted suites remain.

New versions and recordings of the missing portions have famously been attempted by composers and musicologists alike, including experimental Dutch composer Jozef van Wissem’s version for electric guitar and chorus of extinct songbirds and the Louisville Orchestra’s former composer-in-residence Sebastian Chang’s version inspired by classic Hollywood film scores.

This Thursday, San Antonio’s Ray Palmer, the Whale (Kory Cook and Eddy Vazquez) and Dan Carillo will perform a live score one night only at La Zona in a not-to-be-missed single serving treat for the senses. Harvey McLaughlin will provide a pre-screening performance.

$10 Suggested donation, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, La Zona, 337 W. Commerce St., (210) 212-9373, slabcinema.com.

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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.