Movies
Patton Oswalt Joins ‘In Search of Nosferatu’ Doc from ‘Chain Reactions’ Filmmaker
Patton Oswalt previously appeared as a talking head in Alexandre O. Philippe‘s wholly original Texas Chain Saw Massacre documentary, Chain Reactions. The pair are officially reteaming on Philippe’s next project.
The comedian and actor has officially boarded In Search of Nosferatu as executive producer, Screen Anarchy reports today.
Much like Chain Reactions, and Philippe’s 78/52, Leap of Faith, and Lynch/Oz, don’t expect your standard issue genre documentary.
In Search of Nosferatu digs into a horror classic by following “an obsessive filmmaker and a sensorially gifted archivist who can hear silent films search the world for surviving copies of Nosferatu to reassemble and reinvent F.W. Murnau’s vampire classic from a multiplicity of decayed versions.”
“Nosferatu isn’t just a film; it’s a cultural entity that has seeped into the collective unconscious, and its surviving prints are like relics,” said Oswalt. “The chance to work with Alexandre, who dissects cinema with the precision of a detective and the passion of a fanatic, is irresistible. I can’t wait to see what horrors and beauties we dig up.”
The official synopsis expands on the experimental approach here: “The film follows Philippe and British archivist Lauren Newport-Quinn on a personal journey across the globe – from Edinburgh to Mexico City, Seoul to Bratislava – to uncover and examine surviving copies of Murnau’s 1922 masterpiece. Rejecting the notion of a single ‘perfect’ version, the project champions the material decay and geographical diversity of the prints as essential to the film’s emotional and historical DNA.
“Leaning on Newport-Quinn’s rare form of synesthesia, in which she ‘hears’ visual distortions, the project will culminate in a reinvention of Nosferatu itself – recut from the diverse prints discovered during production, with a brand-new score informed by her unique sensory experience. All prints will be scanned and made available to the public via a free, accessible online portal, preserving their individual beauty and decay for future generations.”
In Search of Nosferatu is produced by Terri Piñon of Medianoche Productions (Kim Novak’s Vertigo) out of Marfa, TX, alongside acclaimed horror historian and author Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (1000 Women in Horror) as Co-Producer.
“Patton is a true cinephile and a vital voice among cinephiles,” said director Alexandre O. Philippe. “His enthusiasm for the macabre and his deep understanding of genre mythology make him the perfect partner for this journey into the heart of cinema’s most enduring vampire story.”
The documentary heads to the Cannes market this week, so stay tuned for further announcements as they arrive.
Patton Oswalt in Chain Reactions
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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