The following is the introduction and text of my interview with Al J. Vermette of Blood Moon Rising in their May/June 2003 issue. I wish to thank Al and the staff of Blood Moon Rising for this wonderful opportunity. The text of the interview contained herein is copyright of Blood Moon Rising and is reprinted here with permission. Any reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

BLOOD MOON RISINGSPEAKS WITH THE CREATOR OF THE WEBSITE - “NOSFERATU’S COFFIN”
CHRISTOPHER SZAZ
By. Al J. Vermette

Recently, while prowling the Internet, I came across a most interesting website. The title alone compelled me to check it out. It was called “Nosferatuscoffin.com” and being a huge fan of the 1922 classic as well as the 1979 remake, I had to go in and investigate. Once in the site, I saw there was a wealth of information about the classic film and other fascinating tidbits the website had to offer for fans of Nosferatu. I loved the site and got to thinking ‘How cool would it be to interview the site’s webmaster!’ So I contacted Christopher Szaz and what follows is my interview with this fellow Nosferatu fan.

Q: When did you first see the classic film “Nosferatu”?
A: I first saw “Nosferatu” back in 1977 at age 11 on the local PBS station in Washington, D.C., with my sister. The thing I remember most about watching it that time was my sister and I laughing out loud when Nosferatu is carrying his coffin in Bremen in broad daylight. I suppose when you are young, silly things like that stick in your mind. Over time, I saw it a few more times on the local PBS stations. However, they tended to be chopped up versions of the movie and not a full print. Ironically, it was not until about 1987 that I finally bought the movie on videocassette. Needless to say, there were many more viewings after that purchase.

Q: What are your thoughts of the film and any of the vampire films that came after it?
A: Well, probably the most striking thing about “Nosferatu” is first, Max Schreck’s makeup job. With it, he comes across as not only the most horrifying vampire in cinema history, but maybe any monster in any horror movie. The pointy ears, the protruding teeth and the rats that accompany him truly capture what is meant by the word “nosferatu”, “plague carrier”. It is about as far removed as you can get from the suave, dashing vampires you see in modern vampire movies. You only have to see him once and you can be assured you will never forget him. It is the type of movie that really gets under your skin and into your psyche.

Other noteworthy facts about the film is that it was filmed using real life locations, as opposed to studio sets, which was highly radical at the time. In addition, to my knowledge, it was the first film to use the stop-motion technique. This is best seen when the Jonathan Harker character is picked up by the Coachman and we see the carriage whip away across the land at warp speed.

F.W. Murnau, the movie’s director, was one of the most innovative minds in the movie industry at the time and I feel that shows through when you look at “Nosferatu” and compare it to other silent movies of the era as well as later vampire and horror movies. It was a real shame that he died in an road accident in 1931 shortly after doing three movies for Fox Studios, as he was probably at the peak of his career at that time.

Q: Have you always be a big fan of vampire movies over the years?
A: Very much so. While Nosferatu is both my favorite and I feel the best vampire movie ever made, there were some other classics that have been made. The 1931 “Dracula” with Bela Lugosi was very good, if a little over the top. I admire Peter Cushing’s and Christopher Lee’s vampire works as well, although some of their movies were of the “B” movie variety. However, that matters little to me, as I am big fan of cheesy movies and am a huge Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fan.

The funniest vampire movie, in my opinion, was “Love At First Bite” with George Hamilton. A very humorous melding of Dracula and present-day New York City that I found quite funny.

Q: I have heard mixed reviews about the 1979 remake with Klaus Kinski in the title role, what did you think of the film and did you feel it was a just remake or rip off of the classic?
A: I have seen the remake a few times. However, it has been years since I last saw it, so you will have to bear with me as I try to recall it exactly.

What most impressed me about it was the way Werner Herzog, the movie’s director, tried to stay faithful to the original script. Granted, this is harder to do in a talking film when you are extrapolating from a silent one. However, Klaus Kinki’s makeup job was awesome and he made a very credible Nosferatu. I only saw the dubbed version, not the subtitled one, and the voice they used for Nosferatu himself sounded like someone with a very stuffed up nose. Nasally and a little wimpy, so that took a little away from it. However, I think as movie remakes go, this was one of the best ones I have seen and it is something that I appreciate. I certainly recommend people take a look at it in addition to the 1922 version.

Q: What was it about the Nosferatu film that made you feel that there needed to be a website made in honor of it?
A: A little hard to say. Being that it is one of my favorite movies, I suppose that it might be natural to make a site using that theme. In addition, there are a huge amount of sites on the web that are dedicated to vampires, horror movies and all sorts of things that go bump in the night. However, there are suprisingly few sites dedicated to Nosferatu. Also, I have been an online user for nearly 13 years, going back to the old DOS -based BBS’s and I always used Nosferatu as my handle. So, I suppose a combination of those things were the main factors and motivators in making the “Nosferatu’s Coffin” website. Not to mention, I feel I really have carved out a niche for myself on the web, as I have received nothing but positive feedback from a myriad of sources, including a short blurb in the Cincinnati Post, since I started the site in August 1997. That always helps!

Q: I think you did a really great job with the website! How has it changed your life over the years since you started it?
A: As I mentioned before, I am a long time online user and due to that, I have made a lot of great friends that way. Where the website has made a difference is in making new friends through a new kind of online community that is somewhat different from the types of communities that I was a part of in the old days. I have also become acquainted with many other great sites and talented authors whose sites are of the same kind of genre and whose sites I almost certainly would not have become aware of had I not created the site in the first place. Another important byproduct is that it has helped me inspire to launch my own business that I hope will be as successful as the site itself has been.

Q: Please tell the “Blood Moon Rising” readers a little about your website in your own words.
A: Nosferatu’s Coffin is a site for people who are looking for something a little different. Especially in dark, vampire or horror sites. Between my scene-by-scene synopsis breakdown as well as having a political area on the site, I try to keep things just a little bit different from the ordinary dark site, while at the same time injecting a little humor. There is no need to always be so serious about everything and I always feel that almost no matter how serious the subject matter, there is always a funny side to it. Most importantly, I want my visitors to come away from the site feeling that they have gotten the most of out what they were looking for, to think a little bit more about what they were looking for as well as getting a good chuckle out of the whole experience.

Q: Is the Nosferatu website your only one or are there others out there by you for other films and or monsters?
A: I have done a few others, although they are not vampire or horror related. “Beauty News” (http://www.beautynewsnyc.com) is a small newsletter site I recently did for a client of mine. I also am in process of doing a Jeff Gordon fansite (temporarily located at http://www.nosferatuscoffin.com/phana24jg) for another client. However, that site is currently under development and is not as of yet completed.

These was also “Knights & Maidens” (http://www.knightsandmaidens.net), which was a club site for card players using the Uproar Gaming Network that I did. However, very tragically, the day after 9/11, the club’s founder died suddenly and unexpectedly. That was a very tough situation for both myself and the other club members, as all of us are good online friends. That, combined with decreasing popularity of club sites, was the main reason it was never completed. It is still on my server because there is always the possibility that it might be used again sometime in future.

I have a few others that should be coming down the pike, but the peliminary work on those sites still needs to be sorted out.

Q: Do you have any other plans for the site in the years ahead?
A: Always! A site will go stagnant and visitors will lose interest in it if it sits there on a server and gathers dust. The major addition coming in the near future will be a large merchandising section. The offerings will include items such as posters, movies, books, action figures and the like, all Nosferatu, vampire and horror related, of course. This section is currently in development and at the present time, is not completely done. However, on the site now, there are already links to some of the items that will be featured when that section is finished.

In addition, I am in the midst of putting together a game review section. This section will focus on various PC games that feature themes more on the darker side. Gameplay, interface, system requirements and the like will be graded and reviewed. The first game that is being reviewed and that will be added to this section will be Roberta Williams’ “Phantasmagoria”.

I also will be offering both web hosting for small sites and seeing that I do web design for friends and clients as mentioned above, that shall also be added to the site in the near future.

Q: What was it about the movie or the vampire himself that made you such a fan of the film?
A: I think the psychological aspects of the movie are probably my greatest attraction to it. Unlike most horror movies, especially of the modern variety, “Nosferatu” is one movie that really makes you think and as I mentioned earlier, can really get into your head and really make you think. One commentator I read called it an “abstract nightmare” and I think sums it up quite well. A movie that will sit in the back of your head long after you finished watching it. I suppose I am attracted to those kind of movies. One of my many quirks!

Q: And lastly what would you like to say to all the other fans out there about this wonderfully done horror classic?
A: Best advice. If you have not seen this movie, do so. Rent it! Tape it! Borrow it! Like I say on my site. “You will never look at the vampire the same way again.” Nor will you ever get it out of your mind.