Nosferatu (1922)

U.S. Release Date: 6/3/29

Running Time: 1:20

Rated: Unrated (Mature themes, violence)  

Cast: Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Gustav von Wangenheim, Alexander Granach, John Gottowt

Director: F.W. Murnau
Producers: Enrico Dieckmann, Albin Grau
Screenplay: Henrik Galeen, adapted from Dracula by Bram Stoker
Silent with Musical Accompaniment

Nosferatu is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  The initial release (titled Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens a.k.a. Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror), stole its character names right out of Stoker’s novel.  Only after a lawsuit was filed by Stoker’s widow, did the names change from Count Dracula, Jonathan Harker, Nina Harker, Reinfield, etc. to their current versions.

Despite this historic charge of plagiarism, Nosferatu is one of the finest features to emerge from the “Golden Twenties.”  This 1922 silent motion-picture is frightening, dramatic, and highly-influential.  Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this is the Dracula-inspired motion-picture to view.

In Bremen, Germany, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) travels to Transylvania to sell Count Orlok (Max Schreck) a new home.  After leaving his wife Ellen (Greta Schröder) behind in worry, Hutter ignores the warnings of phantoms and sells the Count a property across the street from the Hutter’s current home. 

Just after the Count signs on the dotted line, his true colors are revealed.  Count Orlok is a mysterious blood-sucking vampire.  But, when he becomes bored with Hutter’s neck, Orlok heads to Bremen – via boat – to see what Mrs. Hutter has to offer.  The chase begins to see who can get back to Hutter’s wife first, as Hutter continues to learn more about Count Orlok in reading The Book of the Vampires.

Schreck’s Count Orlok is a villain for the books.  Often mimicking a rat more than a bat-inspired Dracula, Orlok possesses two protruding front teeth designed for gnawing on a human throat.  Besides being nonconforming to the typical fanged incisors, Orlok’s rat teeth assist in establishing his character as the least sexy and most horrendous vampire ever depicted. 

In every scene in which the Count inhabits, his bulbous head, long fingernails, high shoulders, and gapping black eye sockets are obvious.  When the Count immerges from his coffin and pokes his head out of the hull, one experiences mortal terror and recalls death.  In addition, with Orlok’s slow-moving walk, he provokes fear and suspense on his awaiting prey.  What’s more, coupled with the film’s menacing shadows and rigorous musical accompaniment, Schreck’s performance makes Nosferatu spine-tingling and unforgettable.

Even though Nosferatu is a silent production, it’s a classic vampire horror that will remain lodged into your subconscious forever.  As a result, sit quietly and sink your fangs into this scary F. W. Murnau landmark—that is, if you dare.  After all, the name “nosferatu” alone “can chill the blood.”

© 2007 Brandon Valentine