Nosferatu (1922)

Original Title

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

Genre

Fantasy | Horror

Director

F. W. Murnau

Country

Germany

Cast

Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Alexander Granach, Georg H. Schnell, Ruth Landshoff, John Gottowt, Gustav Botz, Max Nemetz, Wolfgang Heinz, Heinrich Witte, Guido Herzfeld, Karl Etlinger, Hardy von Francois, Fanny Schreck

Storyline

A young, German real estate agent (Gustav von Wangenheim) is sent to Transylvania as the Count (Max Schreck) wants to purchase an house in Germany and soon realises the evil he is dealing with.

Opinion

Almost a century ago, before vampires were portrayed as the cool kids, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau brought to the screen Bram Stoker's legendary vampire, Dracula, for the very first time with "Nosferatu", a brilliant and quite disturbing masterpiece of silent cinema.

As mentioned above, the film is based on Stoker's novel, but, due to some copyright problems, the names of the characters and places were changed which is definitely not a big deal because the story remains the same, that story we all know by heart.

The story is well told, well, most of it is. Some parts look a little confusing because the titles don't really explain what is going on. Also I have to admit that at some point the story turns into something really weird that is nothing like "Dracula". 

Other than that, I have nothing to complain about. The sets, environments and photography are perfect and give the film a fantastic, unique and unforgettable atmosphere that is terrific and creepy, still nowadays. Some of the special effects are laughable, but they still deserve respect because this film was made before computers were even a thing.

And yes, this film is actually scary and Max Schreck has to be thanked for that. He plays the part of Count Orlok/Nosferatu to perfection, and with his long fingernails and gaunt appearance he delivers the best vampire performance ever, bringing such a presence to the role that cannot be equaled. 

I would have never imagined a silent film to still be this powerful nowadays, but I get why some people may find it too slow or boring.