The Rio Theatre is delighted to welcome Austin. Texas ensemble The Invincible Czars back to our stage for a double bill night featuring a pair of FW Murnau classics from the silent era – a 100th Anniversary screening of FAUST followed by the horror classic NOSFERATU – accompanied by a live, original score.

NOSFERATU is one of the most revered films in the history of cinema, and there is no better way to experience this iconic landmark than with Austin’s “emperors of eclecticism,” The Invincible Czars, who are bringing their updated soundtrack to the Rio Theatre with a live performance to accompany a screening of the film.

There is simply no better way to experience these icons of of the silent era than on the big screen, accompanied with a live score!

Saturday, September 12
FAUST 
Doors 6:15 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Pricing $34* Until August 1
Adult Entry – Assigned: $39*
Youth (Under 15) – Assigned: $26*
VIP (Gold Circle – Rows A-D, Centre Section) – Assigned: $44*
*Includes taxes and fees

All Double Feature Tickets HERE
Sorry, there are no single film tickets for FAUST.

NOSFERATU
9:15 pm *Approximate Start Time

Adult Entry Single Film – General Admission: $34*
Youth Single Film (Under 15) – General Admission: $21*
VIP Single Film (Gold Circle – Rows A-D, Centre Section) – General Admission: $39*
*Includes taxes and fees.

Single Film Tickets HERE

Following the film(s) The Invincible Czars will participate in a brief talkback with the audience, meet and greet, and will also be selling their amazing merch!

The Invincible Czars encourage fans and attendees to dress for the Halloween season at these shows – even when it’s not close to Halloween.

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.

Since The Invincible Czars debuted their new score in 2015, fans, theaters and media have praised the soundtrack for making the near century-old movie “actually scary” for modern day audiences. In 2021, they updated the soundtrack to include drums and a little bit more of a “rock edge,” while still retaining its signature, delicate creepiness.

A lush mix of acoustic and electric instruments (including violin, glockenspiel, organ, flute, bass clarinet, voices and vocals, music box, loops, electric guitar, bass, piano and percussion) all play prominent roles in the score’s sonic landscape, ensuring a rich and dynamic experience that can only be had in a theatre.

Who are The Invincible Czars?

Hailing from Austin, Texas, The Invincible Czars make cinematic, experimental “rock” for music nerds, horror fans, film lovers, followers of science fiction and fact, comics, cartoons & humor and anyone with a complicated relationship with heavy metal and classical music.

Do you like Primus, Tchaikovsky, Frank Zappa, Steve Martin, Louis Armstrong, Danny Elfman, Ween, Monty Python and Mr. Bungle? 

They do, too, and their revolving door of players keeps them sounding and looking different from project to project.

The Alamo Drafthouse called them, “one of the best silent film orchestras in the nation.”