9pm, Friday 20th April, St Catherine's Church

On the first night of our festival it will be 100 years to the day that Bram Stoker died, yet he and his creation, Count Dracula, remain household names.

Join us in St Catherine’s Church on the anniversary of Stoker’s death for a screening of the original Dracula movie – Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. This 1922 silent screen adaptation of the gothic horror novel was the first of many cinematic outings for Stoker’s vampire Count, but it is widely considered to be one of the very best.

Starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok and directed by FW Murnau, Nosferatu is a taut psychological insight into duality between man's civilised and bestial natures. To enhance the on-screen tensions, our presentation will be accompanied by a live music from pianist Mick Smith.

Nosferatu was made without the permission of Stoker’s estate. The name changes and tweaks to the plot were no defence against the Stoker family who successfully sued the filmmakers for copyright infringement. In 1925 a German court ordered all existing prints of the film to be destroyed. Luckily for cinema fans, one copy survived.

A glass of wine is included in the ticket price and a selection of garlicky nibbles are very kindly provided by the Garlic Farm, which will help to keep any vampires at bay.