“Nosferatu” meets Radiohead at the Palm Theatre
On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Palm Theatre was filled with adults — young and old — for a showing of the classic 1922 silent film “Nosferatu.” However, the theater was anything but silent, as the experimental rock of Radiohead’s “KID A” (2000) and “Amnesiac” (2001) played synchronously atop the black and white shots of cinema’s first ever vampire, creating an experience the community of San Luis Obispo had yet to see before.
In the midst of the Halloween season, with spiderwebs and pumpkins illuminating the Palm lobby, audience members were taken into the eerie Transylvanian castle of Nosferatu. Simultaneously, Radiohead’s albums played subtly yet intentionally, as the lyrics explored themes of mortality and psychological strain.
“Everything In Its Right Place,” the opening track off of “KID A,” utilizes distorted vocals as its own instrument, with the electronic feel capturing the techno-paranoia experienced at the turn of the century. The daunting theme played as the audience got their first look into Nosferatu’s terror, luring an innocent estate agent into his grasp.
“Nosferatu with Radiohead” is the first release of “Silent Synced,” a concept originated by Josh Frank, owner of the Blue Starlite Mini-Urban Drive-In Movie Theatre in Austin, Texas. This visual spectacle strives to explore cinema as an art, with current alternative music juxtaposing old silent films and inviting audiences to observe both through an entirely new lens.
The Palm’s recent establishment as the SLO Film Center and as San Luis Obispo County’s first nonprofit movie theater has allowed it to further diversify its showings with new and upcoming indie film projects.
The experience is exclusively screened at independent cinemas and drive-in theaters and was introduced to Ryan Burr, the head programmer of the SLO Film Center, in July through independent theater networks.
“[We] bring in the community and show them a curated selection of classics and the cutting edge new releases, and just kind of bring the community together with things like Nosferatu with Radiohead. Things that you won’t see in other places and you can’t have at home,” Burr said.
The pairing has the unique ability to attract audiences that bridge generational gaps, with Radiohead bringing in younger demographics of rock listeners and Nosferatu appealing to a wide range of horror and classic fans alike
“I think [the goal is to] specifically, you know, showcase films that I don’t think [San Luis Obispo] has been exposed to before, and making sure that [San Luis Obispo] is engaging and exposed to the latest in film and the latest in the exhibition industries ideas,” Burr said.
A new “Silent Synced” featuring the music of R.E.M. can be expected for theaters in early 2025. Until then, the theater’s November calendar includes a special look into Sean Baker’s films, with his new movie “Anora” premiering Nov. 8th, as well as Veterans Day and Election special screenings and a collection of fall classics.
