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Elina Löwensohn, Suzy Amis, Galaxy Craze, Martin Donovan, Peter Fonda ... see more see more... , Karl Geary , Jared Harris , David Lynch , Isabel Gillies , Bernadette Jurkowski , Jack Lotz , Nic Ratner , Bob Gosse , Rome Neal

This stylish combination of expressionistic horror and deadpan black comedy centers on the activities of a beautiful female vampire on the streets of New York City. Playing fast and loose with the Dra... read more read more...cula legend, the film examines the legendary count's children, particularly the alluring and mysterious Nadja (Elina Lowensohn). At the film's beginning, Nadja is celebrating her father's demise and hoping to begin a new life. She hopes that this life will include Lucy (Galaxy Craze), a spunky young woman that she seduces after an encounter in a New York bar. Unfortunately, Lucy is already married, to the nephew of eccentric vampire hunter Van Helsing (Peter Fonda), who disposed of Nadja's father and has now set his sights on capturing the daughter. Matters are further complicated when Nadja's brother Edgar (Jared Harris), a vampire who wishes to give up his blood-sucking nature, also becomes involved. Gorgeously shot by cinematographer Jim Denault in a mixture of 35mm black-and-white and low-budget Pixelvision video, the film resembles a combination of the surrealist visions of co-producer David Lynch and the quirky humor and stylized sensibility of Hal Hartley. The convoluted narrative sometimes fails to gel, and the self-conscious, arty approach will not appeal to audiences looking for conventional thrills, but those with a taste for the unusual may find the film an appealing contemporary spin on a familiar legend. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

62% liked it

1,840 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

23 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Michael Almereyda

Release Date: August 25, 1995

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DVD Release Date: July 25, 2000

Stats: 106 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (106)


  • October 1, 2009
    One of the worst vampire movies I have ever come across. Its in my Suzy Amis Collection and the only reason I continued to watch it. Dracula gets hunted down and killed by the current Van Helsing. But Dracula's Daughter Nadja takes his place in the undead world. Nadja, coinciden... read moretally gets involved in a lesbian relationship with Lucy, wife to Jim Van Helsing. Its in B&W which takes away from the overall movie, after all it was filmed in 1994.I didn't get much out of this, maybe an Art house Movie, not sure, just didn't work for me at all. 1 Star
  • September 27, 2009
    I love this movie. Absolutely never get tired of it. The best vampire movie ever made. I love everything about it from the way it is filmed in grainy black and white, to the soundtrack, the performances, particularly Elina Lownsohn - perfect. I must have watched this about te... read moren times now.
    If you like Vampire movies, then you must see this.
  • February 22, 2008
    the most poetic vampire film I have ever seen. Beautiful, emotional, raw, engaging, and vastly under-seen and under-rated.
  • April 27, 2007
    I really thought I wouldn't like this, but I did. A very novel take on vampire movies - I especially liked the aged hippy Van Hellsing riding around on a scooter. However, the way it is shot probably puts people off. I'm okay with black and white films but to keep flicking from c... read moreolour/highlights to black and white can be rather distracting.
  • November 16, 2006
    An experimental triumph, Nadja revamps the Dracula fable by centring the action on Drac's alluring daughter Nadja. Propelled by some decidedly off-kilter storytelling techniques and visuals (David Lynch has an acting part and was producer), Nadja is a rare gem. Look out in partic... read moreular for the most unusual Van Helsing yet; Peter Fonda's bicycle-riding longhair, and the strangely blurred horror images, which serve to perplex the veiwer and entice them into imaging what could be going on that we cannot/must not see. As absudly erotic as if it was made by Lynch himself, Nadja is a much-underseen 90s classic.
  • January 14, 2009
    I dont know how some people like this film. It is absolutely hideous. The dialogues and the actors were horrible. Nonetheless, i would give one star for the film just because director, Michael Almereyda, did a quite marvelous job by shooting an entire feature film with a Fisher-P... read morerice camera. Hence, two thumbs up for the cinematography.
  • June 25, 2008
    A unique film experience.
  • February 29, 2012
    if you dig hal hartley and david lynch, you'll at least like this film. i had zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. and how can you not like a film starring an actress by the name of Galaxy Craze.
  • April 26, 2010
    In modern-day Manhattan, twin vampiric siblings--brother and sister--struggle against their ancient curse. The film takes a rather poetic approach in it's telling, providing black and white settings among an erotic script. Camera angle angles seem to mesh gloriously with its prof... read moreound dialogue. While the film may appear to possess amatuer quality, Nadja bleeds beauty, enrapturing the films essence with artistic merit and poise. Captivating and enthralling, Nadja is immense in the world of cinematic adventure.
  • October 21, 2009
    A very strange movie. I kept waiting for my interest to grow but it never did even towards the end of the movie. It was all vampire poetry and while that's okay, I don't like it in my movies. I'll quickly forget about this movie in due time.

Critic Reviews


Jonathan Rosenbaum
October 20, 2009
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

This offbeat horror item works much better as a dreamy mood piece with striking poetic images and as a semicomic appreciation of a few quintessential low-budget actors than as straight-ahead storytell... Full Review

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

A lovely idea for a film that's been beautifully executed but slips too far off its narrative tracks to get where it wants to go. Full Review

Caryn James
May 20, 2003
Caryn James, New York Times

It is refreshing to see so much style and life in the old undead tale, and to watch this strong cast with its perfect deadpan attitudes. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Michael Almereyda's insanely brilliant fantasia on the Dracula legend. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

What could have been a brilliant short becomes deadly, stretched to feature length. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's the kind of movie that deals with unspeakable subjects while keeping a certain ironic distance, and using dialogue that seems funny, although the characters never seem in on the joke. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Hip. Cool. New Wave. Chic. These are only some of the adjectives applicable to Michael Almereyda's new take on the vampire legend. Of course, one other term springs to mind, but it isn't nearly as com... Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Even as Nadja descends deeper into its downward, surrealistic spiral, the movie's always great to watch. Full Review

October 20, 2009
Film4

This idiosyncratic take on the genre is as much concerned with ordinary family dynamics as the absurdity of its characters' demonic existence. Full Review

Kim Newman
October 20, 2009
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Not without interest, but less satisfying than even an average Hammer horror. Full Review

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