‘Nosferatu’ 1922 original to be set to Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ for new cinema release

The original 1922 version of Nosferatu is set to get a new cinema release where it will be set to Radiohead’s classic album ‘Kid A’.

• READ MORE: Colin Greenwood on capturing “the middle era” of Radiohead – and what’s next for the band

It comes as part of a new series called Silents Synced, which is set to launch in the UK this year and pairs iconic silent films with era-defining records.

Kicking off this autumn, the series will begin with F.W. Murnau’s classic horror Nosferatu. First arriving in 1922 as an adaptation of Dracula, the film went on to become a cornerstone of German expressionist cinema, and Max Schreck’s portrayal of Count Orlok became one of the most famous depictions of vampirism of all time. It was recently remade by Robert Eggers and starred Bill Skarsgård in the leading role.

For the upcoming 2025 release, the classic film will be shown to the hit 2000 Radiohead album ‘Kid A’ and the 2001 follow-up, ‘Amnesiac’. Screenings are set to begin nationwide in October, and the reimagining of the film coincides with the 25th anniversary of ‘Kid A’.

In 2026, the second instalment of the Silents Synced series will see Buster Keaton’s visionary 1924 comedy Sherlock Jr. matched to R.E.M’s 1994 album ‘Monster’ and 1996 release ‘New Adventures in Hi-Fi’.

The albums were selected for both their musical resonance and because they have thematic parallels to the films themselves. Other new elements to reimagine the classic movies have been contributed by independent visual artists André Ouellette, and Myles Mangino, Pixies lighting designer.

Silents Synced was created by independent cinema pioneer Josh Frank, who is the founder of Texas-based urban drive-in Blue Starlite, and has previously collaborated with the likes of Black Francis, David Lynch, Harold Ramis, and The Marx Bros. Estate.

“The question for independent cinemas all across the world has become: what can we do to not remain solely reliant on new tentpole Hollywood releases to get product and experiences people can—increasingly—often wait and get at home?” he said in a new statement.

“This has led us to something brand new out of necessity, in the same way great outsider art has always been created. It’s a whole new cinema experience that we feel both film obsessives and music fans will find something really unique in.”

​​Bertis Downs, manager for R.E.M. added: “The guys thought it sounded like a great idea. They were struck by the uncanny way their music aligned with Sherlock Jr. — it’s kind of perfect. What a brilliant and unexpected way to present great art.”

Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror will be playing in cinemas from October 2, while R.E.M X Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. will be available from February 5 2026. Visit here for tickets and more information, and find a new trailer below.

News of Radiohead’s music being used in the new cinema series comes as rumours are swirling that the Thom Yorke-led band may be gearing up to hit the road again and have supposedly “placed holds in select European cities for a run of residency gigs this autumn”.

While this has not been confirmed yet, the frontman has recently provided the theme to new Apple+ show Smoke and released a collaborative album called ‘Tall Tales’ with Mark Pritchard. He is also currently involved in the new Hamlet To The Thief musical, which is based on Radiohead’s ‘Hail To The Thief’ and took to the stage in Manchester earlier this year.

As for R.E.M., last month the group announced details of ‘Radio Free Europe 2025’ – a five-track benefit EP that includes a never-before-released remix of their 1981 debut song. Shortly before then, all four members – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry, and Peter Buck – made an unexpected return to the 40 Watt Club in their hometown of Athens, Georgia.

The latter came as part of Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s tour – which saw the two of them play 1983’s ‘Murmur’ in full along, with a selection of their favourite R.E.M. songs.

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