The earliest surviving film adaption of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” will be accompanied by Lemire’s original score in Linfield’s historic Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium
Dean Lemire will be performing his original score to accompany a screening of the 1922 German-Expressionist horror flick “Nosferatu” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium on Linfield University’s McMinnville campus.
Lemire is considered Oregon’s preeminent movie organist, having composed more than 100 scores to silent classics. The staff organist at Oaks Park Roller Rink, he previously served as the organist for the Portland Trailblazers and Winterhawks at the Memorial Coliseum, and the Portland Beavers at Civic Stadium/PGE Park. He’s performed with Bob Hope and Lawrence Welk, and played keyboard on multiple USO tours.
“Nosferatu” was the first vampire film, and some film critics claim that it still reigns today as the granddaddy of all horror films. It stars Max Schreck as a vampire who preys on the wife of his estate agent and brings the plague to their town. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 97% Certified Fresh rating, with the critical consensus described as “one of the silent era’s most influential masterpieces, Nosferatu’s eerie, gothic feel — and a chilling performance from Max Schreck as the vampire — set the template for the horror films that followed.”
Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Times wrote: “It’s not just a great horror movie. It’s a poem of horror, a symphony of dread, a film so rapt, mysterious and weirdly lovely it haunts the mind long after it’s over.” Alfred Hitchcock said that “Nosferatu” was an enormous influence for him, particularly when he made “Psycho.”
With its gothic detailing and balcony seats, Ice Auditorium is the ideal backdrop for the showing; the Alice Clements Memorial Pipe Organ contains more than 2,300 pipes. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best costumes, as there will be a contest immediately before the show begins.
“Nosferatu” runs from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium (inside Melrose Hall) at 900 Baker St. SE in McMinnville. Open to the public; tickets for non-students are $10 and now available online. Visitors may park in any non-reserved spot. For more information, see the events page at linfield.edu/music.