Walpurgisnacht, also known as Walpurgis Night or Hexennacht, is a pagan holiday celebrated on the night of April 30th. It is named after Saint Walpurga, an eighth-century nun who Christianized parts of Germany. However, the holiday has roots in pagan traditions that celebrate the coming of spring and the triumph of life over death. It is also associated with witchcraft and supernatural phenomena, making it a perfect occasion to indulge in some spine-chilling horror films.
So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a night of scares with these ten chilling recommendations for Walpurgisnacht.
1. Dracula (1931)
What better way to kick off Walpurgisnacht than with the most iconic vampire movie of all time? Dracula (1931) stars Bela Lugosi as the titular count who travels from Transylvania to England to spread his curse of the undead. The beginning of the film is actually set on Walpurgisnacht, as Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives at Dracula...
So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a night of scares with these ten chilling recommendations for Walpurgisnacht.
1. Dracula (1931)
What better way to kick off Walpurgisnacht than with the most iconic vampire movie of all time? Dracula (1931) stars Bela Lugosi as the titular count who travels from Transylvania to England to spread his curse of the undead. The beginning of the film is actually set on Walpurgisnacht, as Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives at Dracula...
- 4/30/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Each year at the Berlin Film Festival the brightest young talent from across Europe gather to celebrate becoming part of the select group of European Shooting Stars. Spearheaded by the European Film Promotion the initiative spotlights ten of the most promising talents from across the continent, and we had the chance to sit down with each of the ten Shooting Stars this week.
Stefan Pape was our man in Berlin and spoke to each of them about their careers so far, their hopes for the future and what it means to be heralded as a European Shooting Star.
You can find each of the interviews below, along with a brief biography, selected film and TV works and a commendation from the jury about what makes them so promising.
Ardalan Esmaili (Sweden)
Raised in Sweden by Iranian parents, Ardalan Esmaili studied at Stockholm’s University of Dramatic Arts. Upon graduating he...
Stefan Pape was our man in Berlin and spoke to each of them about their careers so far, their hopes for the future and what it means to be heralded as a European Shooting Star.
You can find each of the interviews below, along with a brief biography, selected film and TV works and a commendation from the jury about what makes them so promising.
Ardalan Esmaili (Sweden)
Raised in Sweden by Iranian parents, Ardalan Esmaili studied at Stockholm’s University of Dramatic Arts. Upon graduating he...
- 2/12/2019
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
wide
Every Day [IMDb]
Angourie Rice stars as a teenager who falls in love with a soul that inhabits a different body every day (and some of those bodies are female, too). (male writer and director)
Annihilation [IMDb] pictured
Natalie Portman stars as a scientist on an expedition to a mysterious realm. Costarring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny. (male writer-director)
Game Night [IMDb]
Rachel McAdams costars as one half of a game-nerd couple whose party goes awry. With Sharon Horgan and Kylie Bunbury in major supporting roles. (male writers and director)
limited
Half Magic [IMDb]
Heather Graham writes, directs, and stars in a comedy about three women taking control of their romantic lives. Costarring Stephanie Beatriz and Angela Kinsey.
Days of Power [IMDb]
Jenny Hutton costars as a musician who gets caught up, along with her band, in an underground industry. Written by Michel Grey. (male director)
Curvature [IMDb]
Lyndsy Fonseca...
Every Day [IMDb]
Angourie Rice stars as a teenager who falls in love with a soul that inhabits a different body every day (and some of those bodies are female, too). (male writer and director)
Annihilation [IMDb] pictured
Natalie Portman stars as a scientist on an expedition to a mysterious realm. Costarring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny. (male writer-director)
Game Night [IMDb]
Rachel McAdams costars as one half of a game-nerd couple whose party goes awry. With Sharon Horgan and Kylie Bunbury in major supporting roles. (male writers and director)
limited
Half Magic [IMDb]
Heather Graham writes, directs, and stars in a comedy about three women taking control of their romantic lives. Costarring Stephanie Beatriz and Angela Kinsey.
Days of Power [IMDb]
Jenny Hutton costars as a musician who gets caught up, along with her band, in an underground industry. Written by Michel Grey. (male director)
Curvature [IMDb]
Lyndsy Fonseca...
- 2/23/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
MaryAnn’s quick take… An all-style and very-little-substance exercise in random oddity and weird imagery. Dispenses with engaging characters and revels in its own meaninglessness as if emptiness were deep and significant. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
I recently said, after seeing the terrific joint Finnish-Estonian production The Fencer, that I was curious to see more of what is coming out of Estonia’s newly revitalized film culture. I may have spoken too soon. November — Estonia’s official submission to this year’s Oscars (it was not nominated) — is an all-style and very-little-substance exercise in random oddity and weird imagery, mind-fuckery for mind-fuckery’s sake, except it doesn’t actually fuck with your mind, or with anything at all,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
I recently said, after seeing the terrific joint Finnish-Estonian production The Fencer, that I was curious to see more of what is coming out of Estonia’s newly revitalized film culture. I may have spoken too soon. November — Estonia’s official submission to this year’s Oscars (it was not nominated) — is an all-style and very-little-substance exercise in random oddity and weird imagery, mind-fuckery for mind-fuckery’s sake, except it doesn’t actually fuck with your mind, or with anything at all,...
- 2/23/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
A marvelously strange film from Estonian writer-director Rainer Sarnet, November uses ancient folk tales from the region to deconstruct a love triangle that turns the familiar into something shockingly unexpected. It's both gravely serious and a demonically funny, a blend meant to catch audiences off balance. Mission accomplished.
Based on an Estonian bestseller by Andrus Kivirähk, this ravishing movie tells the story of Liina (Rea Lest), a young village girl; she pines for Hans (Jörgen Liik), a peasant who yearns for a visiting German baroness (Jette Loona Hermanis) far above his rural,...
Based on an Estonian bestseller by Andrus Kivirähk, this ravishing movie tells the story of Liina (Rea Lest), a young village girl; she pines for Hans (Jörgen Liik), a peasant who yearns for a visiting German baroness (Jette Loona Hermanis) far above his rural,...
- 2/22/2018
- Rollingstone.com
What is the point of having a soul if everyone around you doesn’t? That’s the central question asked by Rainer Sarnet’s November, a bleakly told Estonian fairy tale tragedy adapted from Andrus Kivirähk’s novel Rehepapp. At its core is romance — the kind based in unrequited love that will never bear fruit. Liina (Rea Lest) is a peasant girl trying to catch Hans’ (Jörgen Liik) eye while his sights are affixed well above his social stature upon the German Baron’s (Dieter Laser) visiting daughter (Jette Loona Hermanis). They each leave their homes at night to watch the objection of their affection, the latter hiding in the shadows behind the Baroness as she sleepwalks and the former transformed into a wolf so she may spy in plain sight.
These two are seemingly the last young children in a town ravaged by the black plague. Many believed them...
These two are seemingly the last young children in a town ravaged by the black plague. Many believed them...
- 2/20/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
You've gotta watch this wildly weird trailer for the upcoming supernatural horror/fantasy film November. This movie is filled with unsettling dream-fueled folklore that seriously looks so freakin' odd. But just wait until you see the black and white cinematography of this thing! This movie may be strange, but it's visually stunning. This synopsis will give you a little tease of what to expect, but it's the trailer that will give you the full effect of this blend of movie genre madness.
In this tale of love and survival in 19th century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Hans’ requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls are highly regarded,...
In this tale of love and survival in 19th century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Hans’ requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls are highly regarded,...
- 2/5/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
November Trailer Rainer Sarnet‘s November (2017) movie trailer stars Rea Lest, Jörgen Liik, Arvo Kukumägi, Arvo Kukumägi, Taavi Eelmaa, and Dieter Laser. November’s plot synopsis: based on the novel by Andrus Kivirähk, “The story is set in a pagan Estonian village where werewolves, the plague, and spirits roam. The villagers’ main problem is how to survive [...]
Continue reading: November (2017) Movie Trailer: Peasants & the Supernatural Co-mingle in a 19th Century Village...
Continue reading: November (2017) Movie Trailer: Peasants & the Supernatural Co-mingle in a 19th Century Village...
- 2/2/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"Take your pants off and put them on your head." Oscilloscope Labs has debuted the official Us trailer for an insane fantasy horror romance film from Estonia titled November, which first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. Adapted from the best-selling novel Rehepapp by Andrus Kivirähk, the film is set in a 19th century village, where the peasant girl Liina longs for the simple boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by a visiting German baroness who possesses all that he longs for. Rea Lest stars as Liina, and Jörgen Liik as Hans, with a full cast including Arvo Kukumägi, Katariina Unt, Taavi Eelmaa, Heino Kalm, Meelis Rämmeld, and Dieter Laser. This film won Best Cinematography at Tribeca last year, and stopped by a bunch of other festivals. It certainly looks great, also seems weird and twisted and dark as hell. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Rainer Sarnet's November,...
- 2/1/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A time-jumping triptych of female character studies, The Manslayer/The Virgin/The Shadow is a long-gestating, ambitiously scaled portmanteau project from veteran Estonian art house director Sulev Keedus. Winner of the top cinematography prize at Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn earlier this month, this visually ravishing epic is a stellar showcase for rising Baltic screen star Rea Lest, who plays different heroines in each of the three chapters.
The first two episodes are excellent, each with the dramatic depth and bite of stand-alone full-length features. Sadly the third is a misshapen muddle, dragging down the overall quality. A marathon running time...
The first two episodes are excellent, each with the dramatic depth and bite of stand-alone full-length features. Sadly the third is a misshapen muddle, dragging down the overall quality. A marathon running time...
- 12/21/2017
- by Stephen Dalton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Young love is naive. Young love is passionate. Yet, what happens when young love becomes unrequited? For Liina, it leads to drastic measures.
Read More: Tribeca TV Lineup 2017 Unveiled: ’Handmaid’s Tale,’ Albert Einstein’s ‘Genius,’ Ken Burns’ Vietnam War Doc and More
Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in the International Narrative Competition, “November.” directed by Rainer Sarnet. revolves around a small Estonian village where dark magic looms and infatuation spawns. There, the desperate village people steal from each other, from their German manor lords, from spirits, the devil, and from Christ. They are willing to give away their souls to thieving creatures made of wood and metal called kratts, who help their masters whose soul they purchased steal even more.
Within this town is Young Lina (Rea Lest) who falls hopelessly in love with Hans (Jörgen Liik), but their relationship is spoiled when she discovers that...
Read More: Tribeca TV Lineup 2017 Unveiled: ’Handmaid’s Tale,’ Albert Einstein’s ‘Genius,’ Ken Burns’ Vietnam War Doc and More
Premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in the International Narrative Competition, “November.” directed by Rainer Sarnet. revolves around a small Estonian village where dark magic looms and infatuation spawns. There, the desperate village people steal from each other, from their German manor lords, from spirits, the devil, and from Christ. They are willing to give away their souls to thieving creatures made of wood and metal called kratts, who help their masters whose soul they purchased steal even more.
Within this town is Young Lina (Rea Lest) who falls hopelessly in love with Hans (Jörgen Liik), but their relationship is spoiled when she discovers that...
- 3/30/2017
- by Kerry Levielle
- Indiewire
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