• Viola Dana drummer Pete Guazzelli, violist Kathy Corecig, guitarist Jozef Grech and cellist Tristen Parr.

NOSFERATU stands as one of the few early horror movies that can still raise the heebie jeebies, but most of the 1922 orchestral score by German composer Hans Erdmann was lost, long ago.

Perth band Viola Dana spends its time creating new soundtracks for old films and performing them live, and has put together a score to accompany the expressionist horror. Charitably called an “unauthorised adaption” of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu stuck to the tale of the vampiric count so closely that Stoker’s heirs sued over it and the courts ordered all copies destroyed.

But while a few prints of the masterpiece survived, the accompanying soundtrack did not.

Viola Dana violist and composer Kathy Corecig says even though it was made 93 years ago “Nosferatu seems as spooky as ever and fairly thematically relevant today”.

“The fairly rudimentary visual effects by today’s standards seem to lend a greater degree of eeriness to the film than something slick and realistic, and the themes of fear of the unknown and of contamination are universal and everlasting.”

The dark tale is a bit of a departure for the band, which is named for the silent film actress who appeared in more than 100 films. It’s previously put soundtracks to two Buster Keaton silent films, far less morbid affairs, but there may be a few lighter moments in store for Nosferatu too.

“As a band that has worked solely on comedic films to date, we’re forever trying to look for ways to musically bring in a big of light-hearted perspective where it works.”

Ms Corecig says some of the supposedly “scary” scenes from back in 1922 just look a little comical now, so rather than trying to spookify them the music’s used to bring some levity to the lurching Count Orlock. The band sits in live to play the screening at Luna on SX November 1, tickets http://www.lunapalace.com.au

by DAVID BELL