Zanobard Reviews

Christopher Young’s darkly dramatic new score for the classic Nosferatu is an utter orchestral powerhouse of malevolent vampyric terror, with the composer’s impeccable “Overture” for the titular Count Orlok in centre stage, multiple Standout Cues and an enjoyably thunderous style that overall make this one of the composer’s very best works.

Two Nosferatus in one year! In 2024, we had not only Robin Carolan’s beautifully serene work for Robert Eggers’ new remake of the classic 1922 film, but also a dramatically symphonic contribution for the iconic vampyr from none other than Christopher Young, which is what we’re now reviewing. Young’s work here differs from Carolan’s in that it’s a brand new score for the original 1922 film as opposed to a new remake, and its a much more thematic and classically horror-sounding work compared to Carolan’s quieter, more withdrawn score (that’s not a criticism though – both works are fantastic in their own right). Given the above, to say I was intrigued when Young announced he was working on a new Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror soundtrack is understating things indeed, and this review’s been a long time coming ever since that announcement. So without further ado, let’s dive in. Young’s score begins with Overture – his brand new theme for the iconic titular vampyr. Deep, dark organ notes, tense strings and low-pitched sinister brass open the four minute cue, and immediately the composer’s new theme for the old villain rears its dramatically malevolent head. It’s loud, imposing and immediately recognisable, sticking with you right off the bat, and in its sinister, simmering tone and fervently thunderous pace – which continues throughout the entire track – it’s pretty much perfect for Nosferatu.

With the dramatically unnerving main theme fading ominously away, the subsequent “Dead Flowers” introduces another motif for Christopher Young’s dark symphony here – a quieter, more tragic piece for main character Ellen Hutter. It begins with gentle, wary woodwinds which then slowly builds with the addition of strings, twinkling pecussion and backing brass – establishing this rather serene new motif to spellbinding effect until the music then settles slightly, and a quietly unnerving rendition of the main overture echoes malevolently out. The score then turns more solemn and worrisome in “Hutter’s Departure” with another new motif debuting – this time a more wary, serene piece presumably for Thomas Hutter, Ellen’s husband – that plays across some rather tense and sinister instrumentation all across the four minute track. “The Inn” then features eerie orchestral murkiness with organ-based undertones of the overture throughout its three minute runtime before thunderous blasts of unnerving brass followed by shrill woodwinds take over for “Book Of Vampires”. This moodiness then continues somewhat into “Land Of Ghouls” – that’s another thing about this album actually, many of the tracks continue into eachother, unending, like an actual symphony – before tense percussion, frantic brass and strings kick wary action into gear. This then leads straight into action setpiece “Phantom Carriage”, where these darkly, chaotically playful organ notes and percussion together with tense brass play tensely, bookending a dramatically rapid rendition of the overture, until the track suddenly ends at three minutes long.

The unnerving symphony fades back into wary ambience for “The Dining Room”, with low-pitched, moody strings occupying much of the two minute track and then continuing into the subsequent “Night Shadows” alongside eerily whistling woodwinds. “Ellen’s Portrait” opens in a similarly quiet and foreboding manner before then starting to gradually build, rising in both intensity and volume until crescendoing frenetically with a short and moodily malevolent rendition of the overture then closing out the cue. The minute-long “Sleepwalk” continues this increasingly tense orchestral tone with two further crescendos before the music thunders into another tense action setpiece with “The Crypt”; tense percussive blasts and strings at fever-pitch intensity are the focal point here, building and thundering and rallying in sheer feverishness until “Escape From The Castle” gives this frenetic section of action one last, lengthy finishing crescendo. “Delerium” then simmers in woodwind and strings-based wariness for much of its runtime together with some rather dissonant piano notes with “Blood Is Life” afterwards following in much a similar moodily ambient manner. “Ellen By The Sea” then hints back towards the gentler, more serene motif for the titular character on quietly peaceful strings, though this gentleness doesn’t last for long before the subsequent “A Dark And Watery Grave” stirs up the darkness once again as dramatic stabs of brass, crashing percussion and sinister atmospheric undertones overall send a chill down one’s spine throughout its three minute runtime.

“The Captain’s Demise” is one of the most darkly dramatic setpieces on the entire album; it opens breathlessly with frenetic brassy bursts before settling somewhat, a quietly malevolent ambience starting to seep in before villainy starts to take a hold of the music, with booming brass, sinister strings, crashing drums, eerily fleeting woodwinds and a hair-raising organ all building to terrifying effect until a final, deafening crescendo closes out the cue. “Ship Of Doom” then thunders straight into turbulent action with loud swathes of imposing brass, a now even bolder organ and crashes of deafening drums seeding musical chaos throughout. Things then simmer somewhat for “The Master Is Near” with the volume at a much lower level, though that eerily sinister aspect of the score still lurks moodily throughout this quieter and more serene piece. With the album overall though now drawing toward its finale, “The Plague” leans back into the tense action of earlier with moody brass and sinister strings at its forefront before “Dead Town” and “Burials” dial the volume back considerably for six collective minutes of serene yet ominous piano and strings-based atmosphere. Tension then starts to creep back in with “Knock’s Flight” as rumbling drums, brass and an increasingly emphatic organ build to fever-pitch, with Ellen’s theme retaking the stage one last time in “Possession” in a tragic, almost inevitable manner with the weight of the full orchestra behind it. To close the score “Sacrifice And Finale” reprises the overture in as grandly dark and grotesque a manner as the original cue, ending the symphony just as thunderously and malevolently as it began.

Overall, Christopher Young’s almost operatic re-score of the 1922 classic Nosferatu is as boldly dramatic as it is dark and terrifying, and if you love the composer’s horror scores of old you will almost certainly enjoy this too. At the heart of his vampyric work here is the “Overture”, a thunderously malevolent new theme for the iconic Count Orlok and of course Standout Cue of the album, with the way it utilises a creepy, unnerving organ and swells of sinister strings and booming brass being utterly sublime. Honestly all-in the composer’s use of sheer orchestration throughout this ninety minute album is a thing to behold just on its own, whether it’s in the gently serene strings for Ellen Hutter in “Dead Flowers”, the grandly in-your-face brass and crashing percussion of “Ship Of Doom”, the chaotically almost chanting bursts of organ and brass through “Phantom Carriage” or indeed the wary, unnerving string ambience that echoes coldly around “Dead Town”; Young pretty much nails all of it, with his orchestrations practically sending shivers down your spine as he seemingly effortlessly weaves all these emotions and textures together for a pure and utterly mesmerising Nosferatu symphony. It’s an experience, this score, that’s for sure. It plays like a big cohesive musical narrative – by design – with many tracks leading straight into one another, and the way it all leaps and crashes and dances and flourishes all across its runtime is quite frankly incredible.

Hit play below. You won’t regret it.

Score: 8/10

Standout Cues: Overture/Phantom Carriage/Ship Of Doom

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