Silent horror is truly a lost art. They freaked me out when I was a kid because they created an atmosphere that cannot be duplicated by “talkies”. The blaring organ music, the grainy, choppy and dark picture, the actors caked in so much bright make-up that they practically look like clowns; all these elements come together to create a unique sense of uneasiness and dread you won’t find in any other era of filmmaking. F. W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” is, in my honest opinion, the best silent horror film ever conceived.
Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) has traveled from his homeland of Bremen to the murky depths of Transylvania to close a real estate deal with the gruesome Count Orlok (Max Schreck). The vermin-like Count becomes smitten by a photograph of Hutter’s wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder), and makes haste to Bremen. Although weakened after falling prey to Orlok’s hunger, Hutter musters up the strength to journey back to Bremen to save his wife. Meanwhile, Orlok’s arrival sends the town into a state of panic, as a plague of certain death lays waste to its people.
Sound familiar to anyone? “Nosferatu” was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula”. While it's hard for us to believe these days, the character of Dracula wasn’t always in the public domain. That lead to a lawsuit filed by Stoker’s estate, resulting in all the characters in the movie receiving new names. Personally, I’m glad that Count Orlok and Count Dracula are two different (if not distinctly different) characters. Both Orlok and Dracula have a presence all their own, and for my money’s worth, I prefer Orlok. So it’s for the best that these two remain separate entities.
“Nosferatu” reflects a time when vampires were looked upon in a very different light. Before Bela Lugosi turned them all into suave and dashing gentlemen of the night, vampires were perceived more as ghouls and other horrible undead creatures of darkness. They most certainly weren’t tall, dark and handsome. This is the way I like my vampires and is one of the primary factors in why I value this movie over any other offering in the subgenre.
Max Schreck’s performance as Count Orlok cannot be understated. The man is grotesque, vermin-like and utterly inhuman in appearance. What might alarm some more than anything else, is that his make-up effects consisted of little more than pointy ears and fangs. The man really looked like that! Ugliness was only one of his qualities, however. The man’s movements and mannerisms all drip with a haunting and unearthly quality. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that not once during the entire film does Schreck blink his eyes.
Murnau’s directorial style should also be commended. He accomplishes a lot of amazing special effects which without a doubt knocked audiences out of their seats back in 1922. We all recognize the classic scene in which Orlok’s shadow creeps slowly up the stairs with his body nowhere in sight. Indeed, Murnau’s use of shadows is eerie as all Hell. My personal favorite moment comes shortly after the staircase scene, as Orlok’s shadowy hand stretches across Ellen’s body and clutches her heart, causing her to collapse. Other tricks such as double exposures allow Orlok to appear as a translucent spectral entity, furthering his ghostly presence. Another one of my favorite bits sees Orlok rise from his crate, stiff as a board, to a complete standstill absolutely unaided (to the audience, anyway). A very chilling moment. All these effects may sound entirely mundane and ho-hum by today’s standards, but try to look at them with some perspective. This was 1922. Filmmaking was still young, with a lot of experimenting going on. “Nosferatu” is absolutely amazing in its creativity and resourcefulness.
Not all the effects in the film bowled me over, though. To illustrate Orlok’s supernatural speed, Murnau employed sped-up “fast-motion” techniques. Perhaps too many episodes of “The Munsters” have poisoned me, but fast-motion looks overwhelmingly silly no matter how you do it.
“Nosferatu” ranks as both my favorite silent film and my favorite vampire film. It should really be on everybody’s list of horror films to watch and with it being in the public domain, you can come across it very easily and very cheaply.
Grade: A (as in “After seeing a rat-like old man lick his lips at the sight of my ‘precious blood’, I really don’t think I’d spend another two nights in his castle”.)
Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) has traveled from his homeland of Bremen to the murky depths of Transylvania to close a real estate deal with the gruesome Count Orlok (Max Schreck). The vermin-like Count becomes smitten by a photograph of Hutter’s wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder), and makes haste to Bremen. Although weakened after falling prey to Orlok’s hunger, Hutter musters up the strength to journey back to Bremen to save his wife. Meanwhile, Orlok’s arrival sends the town into a state of panic, as a plague of certain death lays waste to its people.
Sound familiar to anyone? “Nosferatu” was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula”. While it's hard for us to believe these days, the character of Dracula wasn’t always in the public domain. That lead to a lawsuit filed by Stoker’s estate, resulting in all the characters in the movie receiving new names. Personally, I’m glad that Count Orlok and Count Dracula are two different (if not distinctly different) characters. Both Orlok and Dracula have a presence all their own, and for my money’s worth, I prefer Orlok. So it’s for the best that these two remain separate entities.
“Nosferatu” reflects a time when vampires were looked upon in a very different light. Before Bela Lugosi turned them all into suave and dashing gentlemen of the night, vampires were perceived more as ghouls and other horrible undead creatures of darkness. They most certainly weren’t tall, dark and handsome. This is the way I like my vampires and is one of the primary factors in why I value this movie over any other offering in the subgenre.
Max Schreck’s performance as Count Orlok cannot be understated. The man is grotesque, vermin-like and utterly inhuman in appearance. What might alarm some more than anything else, is that his make-up effects consisted of little more than pointy ears and fangs. The man really looked like that! Ugliness was only one of his qualities, however. The man’s movements and mannerisms all drip with a haunting and unearthly quality. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that not once during the entire film does Schreck blink his eyes.
Murnau’s directorial style should also be commended. He accomplishes a lot of amazing special effects which without a doubt knocked audiences out of their seats back in 1922. We all recognize the classic scene in which Orlok’s shadow creeps slowly up the stairs with his body nowhere in sight. Indeed, Murnau’s use of shadows is eerie as all Hell. My personal favorite moment comes shortly after the staircase scene, as Orlok’s shadowy hand stretches across Ellen’s body and clutches her heart, causing her to collapse. Other tricks such as double exposures allow Orlok to appear as a translucent spectral entity, furthering his ghostly presence. Another one of my favorite bits sees Orlok rise from his crate, stiff as a board, to a complete standstill absolutely unaided (to the audience, anyway). A very chilling moment. All these effects may sound entirely mundane and ho-hum by today’s standards, but try to look at them with some perspective. This was 1922. Filmmaking was still young, with a lot of experimenting going on. “Nosferatu” is absolutely amazing in its creativity and resourcefulness.
Not all the effects in the film bowled me over, though. To illustrate Orlok’s supernatural speed, Murnau employed sped-up “fast-motion” techniques. Perhaps too many episodes of “The Munsters” have poisoned me, but fast-motion looks overwhelmingly silly no matter how you do it.
“Nosferatu” ranks as both my favorite silent film and my favorite vampire film. It should really be on everybody’s list of horror films to watch and with it being in the public domain, you can come across it very easily and very cheaply.
Grade: A (as in “After seeing a rat-like old man lick his lips at the sight of my ‘precious blood’, I really don’t think I’d spend another two nights in his castle”.)
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