Bryant’s review published on Letterboxd:
Klaus Kinski's performance makes this maybe the best rendition of the classic Dracula tale. He's so damned subtle, which is an odd thing to say about someone with two prominent fangs wearing four hours worth of makeup. But the wistfulness in his eyes when he meets Harker is, in fact, subtle. When he comes to Lucy's bedroom for the second time, you can distinguish that wistfulness -- it's more charged with desire. Stunning work.
Herzog's direction is also masterful. The original's black and white was so evocative I was nervous about how it would translate into color. Silly of me. The shot of Harker arriving in the castle and exiting the carriage is a perfect extrapolation of black and white cinematography, with everything in grays and blacks except Harker himself: a muted note of color against the stone. Harker, and the carriage light. For the remainder of the movie, black and white is a signal of vampiric presence, and color is the living world.
The sense of decay is something. The castle is grim, rotting away from the first glimpse. And as Dracula arrives in Wismar, he brings decay with him -- not as much physical this time, more the social order. The scenes of the plague-ridden villagers feasting and dancing next to swarms of rats are intensely striking.
Can't ask for much more than we get here, I think.