Time: 94 Minutes
Age Rating: contains Violence
Cast:
Max Schreck as Count Orlok
Gustav von Wangenheim as Thomas Hutter
Greta Schröder as Ellen Hutter
Alexander Granach as Knock
Ruth Landshoff as Ruth
Wolfgang Heinz as First Mate of The Empusa
Director: F. W. Murnau

Hutter is sent by his master to finalise a deal with Count Orlok. However, he soon learns that Orlok is a vampire who has his eyes set on Hutter’s wife, Ellen.

I remembered once trying to watch the 1922 classic silent film Nosferatu many years ago. Within the first 10 minutes however, I could tell that it wasn’t going to work for me, mostly due to it being a silent movie. However, years later and having liked The Artist (2011), I decided I’d give it another shot. Even before watching the film, I knew of its reputation and impact; its technically the first onscreen adaptation of Dracula, if an unauthorised one. Having seen it with the right perspective, I can say that Nosferatu is well deserving of the classic status.

Early on, its easy to see the similarities between Dracula and Nosferatu. This 1922 film follows a real estate agent named Hutter, who travels to Transylvania to meet his mysterious client. He turns out to be a vampire and develops an interest in Hutter’s wife. If you’re familiar with the Dracula story, then you pretty much know how the story plays out, and there aren’t any surprises. The difference is that the names were changed to avoid any legal issues, otherwise it doesn’t try to hide its inspirations. Given that this is a silent movie, so much of the story is expressed through its imagery and its handled very well.

Its hard to rate silent film performances, but everyone seemed to play their parts well. However, the highlight unsurprisingly is Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the Dracula of this movie. Schreck commands a chilling on screen presence, even just with his movements. His performance combined with the grotesque and inhuman design help to get under your skin. It’s a strong candidate for the creepiest on screen vampire.

W. Murnau’s direction is masterful. A big part of the movie is its atmosphere, it is eerie and there’s a real sense of dread throughout. The German expressionist imagery is fantastic, the use of shadows and lighting is wonderful, the set design and locations are remarkable, and its a stunning movie to look at. With it being a silent film, the music is critical to the movie working and it definitely delivers. Any of its technical issues can just be put up to the time it was made in.

Nosferatu is a haunting, dark and atmospheric silent horror film, with creepy and memorable imagery, and a fantastic score. Its very easy to see how it had such an impact on films going forward, especially horror movies. Perhaps if you’re not into silent movies, it might be a bit hard to get into. Otherwise if you like horror movies, it’s worth a watch.