15. Nosferatu (1922)

Directed by F. W. Murnau

Synopsis

Ok, have you have read Dracula or seen any Dracula film? That's it, with different names and set in Germany instead of the UK! It is actually quite faithful to the novel, except that "Mina" sacrifices herself to destroy Nosferatu at the end.

Review

Nosferatu a name to stir primordial fear in every man's heart! And Max Schreck is fucking freaky throughout the film. Along with Dr. Mabuse this is probably one of the most watchable silent films to modern audiences, it is really thrilling to see the character of Nosferatu up to his mischievious deeds.

Murnau is arguably the best silent film director of all time, and if we don't watch many German films these days, the silent era was really their turf. The most original, fascinating and watchable films seem to have come from there, either by Fritz Lang or Murnau. Nosferatu is a good example of this. The way in which Murnau uses space to emphasise the terror of Nosferatu really works, and I would consider this to be the first truly Horror movie in the sense that it works. Other Horror films had been done before, like Korkarlen reviewed before, but it was not scary per se, it just described situations which would be frightening fort those involved. The presence of Max Schreck changes all that however and I can imagine the audiences of the time freaking out at the Nosferatu characted but also at the freaky stop motion used for the movements of the chariot or when Nosferatu piles up 5 coffins onto a cart.

Still, it didn't feel as modern as Mabuse for example. Maybe this is due to Mabuse having had a better restoration than Nosferatu and also because the soundtrack in the version of Nosferatu I saw really grated on my nerves... I mean really! Parts of it were quite brilliant, but I honestly don't need fucking synth-art music on my 1922 film, I know post-modernism and all that, but JEEESUS! Bugger post-modernism with a fish-fork!

Really worth watching and actually quite easy to find online. Or buy it at Amazon
US or UK

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

Influence of Nosferatu from Wikipedia:

* 1977– The narrative song "Nosferatu" closes the album Spectres by Blue Öyster Cult.
* 1979– Salem's Lot director Tobe Hooper chose a distinct Nosferatu look for the vampire Barlow.
* 1982– Clips from the film are included in British rock band Queen's (featuring David Bowie) Under Pressure video.
* 1987– The starship of Sabalom Glitz in the Doctor Who episode titled "Dragonfire" is called Nosferatu. Later Glitz acquires a Nosferatu II.
* 1988 U.K. based Gothic Rock band Nosferatu (band) is formed, heavily influenced by classic horror, vampires, and vampyre subculture.
* 1990-2005 – Various entries in the Fire Emblem series of videogames feature a magic spell called "Nosferatu", which allows the caster to absorb the hit points of another unit.
* 1991– "Nosferatu Man" is the name of a song on the album Spiderland by Slint.
* 1991– The vampire Radu from the Subspecies series of films has visual cues from Nosferatu, including the grotesque white face, and over-long fingers and nails.
* 1991 – In White Wolf, Inc.'s Vampire: The Masquerade there exists a vampire clan of hideously deformed vampires known as the Nosferatu.
* 1991 – Millennium Publications releases a four-part comic series, Nosferatu: Plague of Terror written by Mark Ellis with art by Rik Levins that provides an origin for Orlock separate and distinct from Dracula. The series also portrays his career after the events of the Murnau film.
* 1993– From Swedish doom metal band The 3rd and the Mortal, you hear mention of Nosferatu in the song "Salva Me", on their album "Tears Laid in Earth". The Lyrics of mention are: "Cold winds chant Nosferatu".
* 1993. The famous shadow scene is parodied in The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror IV in the scene where Mr. Burns welcomes the Simpsons to his castle.
* 1993– Clips from a Nosferatu re-make appear and he jumps off of the screen in an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? called "The Tale of the Midnight Madness" (Season 2, Episode 2).
* 1994– Metal band Type O Negative referred to "a date at midnight with Nosferatu" in the lyrics to Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)
* 1994–The film Killing Zoe used scenes from "Nosferatu" before, during and after two of the main characters made love.
* 1994-2000– A spoof Nosferatu-type character appears in the British sketch-comedy program The Fast Show. He is seen terrorising a young woman in bed, but he offers betting tips and says "Monster, Monster!"
* 1997- The popular slasher movie Scream 2 includes a character watching a scene from Nosferatu. On an interesting note, that character is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who also plays Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
* 1997– The video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night featured an enemy named "Orlox" who resembles Orlock.
* 1997 – The Master, the villain throughout the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was visually based on Nosferatu, having long nails, large bat-like ears, and a bald white head. In the Angel episode "Why We Fight" there is also a Nosferatu-looking vampire on board a submarine, though it is implied he is actually supposed to be Count Orlok. Also in the seventh and final season of Buffy, the protagonists fight a race of ubervampires called the Turok-Han who are also very reminiscent of Nosferatu.
* 1999– Jean-Marc Lofficier wrote a trilogy of graphic novels based on German expressionist film, the second of which was titled Batman: Nosferatu. Batman's costume was remodeled to resemble Orlok's, but most of the plot came from an equally renown German expressionist film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
* 1999 - The Swedish Progressive Metal band Evergrey has a track on their 1999 album Solitude - Dominance - Tragedy appropriately entitled Nosferatu.
* 1999 - The Detroit based horror rap group Samhein Witch Killaz release a song called "Nosferatu." As you may have guessed the song was, in fact, about the vampire Nosferatu itself.
* 2000 - The videogame Resident Evil Code: Veronica featured a mutated creature called Nosferatu as a boss in the game.
* 2000– A Hollywood movie called Shadow of the Vampire told a fictional story of the making of the silent version of Nosferatu, imagining that actor Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) was himself a vampire, and that director F. W. Murnau (John Malkovich) was complicit in hiring the creature for the purposes of realism.
* 2000– Several episodes of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command feature the recurring villain NOS-4-A2, a robot that feeds off of the energy of anything mechanical.
* 2001 - In the vampire anime Hellsing a member of the Iscariot Organization refers to the main character Alucard as "Nosferatu Alucard" in reference to his despicable demeanor and his occult supernatural powers which are far greater than any normal bitten vampire. As well Incognito, the Vampire towards the end of the series, are referred to as a "true Nosferatu".
* 2002 - The music video to Farin Urlaubs second single, "Sumisu" is shot in the style of the movie and features Urlaub playing a character bearing strong resemblance to Count Orlok.
* 2002 - Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra release the CD "Into the Land of Phantoms," selections from their acclaimed score to Nosferatu.
* 2002– Count Orlok also appears in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants in the episode titled "The Graveyard Shift."
* 2002– The movie Blade II introduces mutant vampires called Reapers that resemble Count Orlok.
* 2002 - The video game Disciples II (and its prequel) feature a character called a Nosferat, a general for the Undead Hordes.
* 2003- A energy weapon in the online multiplayer game Eve Online is called a Nosferatu, it steals energy from another ship and transfers it to your own (also called energy vampires)
* 2004- [Nosferatu.com] Nosferatu.com web site is launched featuring historical information on the Nosferatu and officially licensed Nosferatu merchandise
* 2004- In the issue 14 of the Spectacular Spider-Man, Morbius the Living Vampire is drawn to look like Count Orlok.
* 2004-Jim Carrey plays the role of Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The likeness of Olaf appears to be modelled on a likeness of Nosferatu.
* 2005– General Grievous, a new Star Wars villain, is based on various aspects of Nosferatu. Rob Coleman (one of the top VFX workers on Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) when speaking about movements for the character is quoted as saying, "In fact, we talked about Fagin as well as classic vampire movies, including Nosferatu."
* 2005–2006- Dracula vs. King Arthur, a comic book mini-series seeing Count Dracula transported to Arthurian era Camelot and invading the lands, with many underling vampires resembling the rat-faced look of Orlok.
* 2006– The character Uta Refson (Erica Cerra) [Nosferatu backwards] is introduced in the series The L Word (episode 31) at table 13 of a speed dating session, as a Vampirologist (not a Vampire mythologist) certified by Dartmill University (the certificate being 13 lines long), teacher of a course on the queer vampire in literature & film in a seminar called "Demon Desire" about the vampire as a lesbian predator, and as an appropriately overwhelming love interest for the core character of Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey). Uta Refson is shown to have a bony figure, very intense eyes, long sharp fangs and finger-nails, a casual avoidance of being seen in mirrors, exceptional stamina, a preference to only go out at night, an aversion to discussing religion and far greater strength than her body suggests.
* 2006– In the movie Running Scared, a Nosferatu-type monster is in the background of the bathroom of the pedophiles' house.
* 2006– In the Base Set of Wizkid's Games Horrorclix Battleing Mininatures game, there is a figure named Nosferatu.