Silents Synced pairs classic silent movies with epic rock music. Created by an independent cinema owner for independent cinemas! Silents Synced will be available to book exclusively for independents and drive ins only! The first film will feature Radiohead’s “KID A (2000) / Amnesiac (2001),” paired with F. W. Murnau‘s NOSFERATU (1923).

NOSFERATU X RADIOHEAD is directed and remixed by Josh Frank.

Unleashed upon the world in 1922, German filmmaker F.W. Murnau‘s NOSFERATU is most certainly the most important horror film of the silent era, and one of the first vampire movies. The fact that it exists at all is something of a miracle, as it was almost completely lost when Bram Stoker‘s widow sued the filmmakers for copyright infringement, and most of the prints of the movie were subsequently destroyed.

NOSFERATU tells the story of Hutter and Ellen, a couple from the village of Wisborg.  Hutter travels to Transylvania to sell a piece of property in Wisborg to Count Orlok.  Hutter stays in Orlok’s castle only to learn that the Count is a vampire. Orlok purchases a house next to Hutter’s, locks Hutter in the castle and travels to Wisborg. On the way, he manages to possess Hutter’s employer and Ellen and strike the village with an outbreak of the plague. Hutter rushes home to stop him before it’s too late.

“The [Silents Synced] project is the brainchild of Josh Frank, who has written plays and books about music, as well as owning and programming independent movie theaters in Austin, Texas. “This is the culmination of everything I’ve been involved with creatively,” he says. “The theme here is what else can you do with your favorite music? It’s about the theatrics of putting on a show for people and using what I’m passionate about, which is music and experimenting with narrative.”

Frank conceived of this idea two decades ago playing Nine Inch Nails’ album “The Fragile” while watching Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 silent “Metropolis.” (The weird synchronicity between rock music and old movies goes back to the 1990s when Pink Floyd fans noticed a surreal connection when “Dark Side of the Moon” was paired with “The Wizard of Oz.”)

Frank, who equates the experience to him seeing the Pink Floyd Laser Light Show as a teen, loves the movies but is driven at least equally by his passion for music. “When I find the right album that pairs with the movie, something magical [happens] that creates a whole new context for the music and for the movie,” he says. “This music you’ve been listening to for 20 years, you suddenly have the same excitement the first time you heard it. When I put Radiohead up against ‘Nosferatu,’ there were many moments throughout where I got goosebumps.” (Los Angeles Times)

Sunday, October 27 Encore Screening!
Doors 5:15 pm | Movie 5:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Tickets HERE

*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film only. Please redeem at the door.
*We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at www.riotheatretickets.ca. If a screening or live event is not sold out, the remaining tickets will be available for in-person purchase at the Rio Theatre’s Box Office prior to showtime (subject to availability).
*Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats, and time for treats at concession.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance <[email protected]> and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime.

*All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale.