- F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu has the distinction of being the first of at least a hundred film adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Whether or not it's also the best may reveal more about the competition than it does about this film, but it is unquestionably an influential and important work. The story changes the names but retains most of the novel's plot, following a real estate agent named Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to the eerie castle of Count Orlok (Max Schreck) whose now-iconic gaunt appearance and strange nighttime proclivities belie his sinister nature. Before long, Orlok is stowing away in a coffin on a ship bound to London. The local townspeople fear that the ship may be infested by the plague, never suspecting that the truth is far worse.
- The most interesting difference between Nosferatu and the traditional Dracula story may be in how Count Orlok is finally defeated. Whereas the usual methods involve religious artifacts and obscure weapons like garlic and wooden stakes, this film is content to have Orlok fall victim to his own dark obsessions. It turns out that his desire for Hutter's incorruptible wife Ellen (Greta Schröder) leads to Orlok's staying out past sunrise, which has the usual effect. Strange that the first vampire film is also one of the few that does not tacitly blame the female victim for being seduced by a vampire. Social issues aside, my favorite parts of Nosferatu are certainly its now-famous Expressionist lighting and staging and occasional applications of sped-up footage. Who would have guessed that the same technique that made so many silent comedies funny could also make silent horror films creepy? When Nosferatu comes charging out of his carriage at double-speed, the effect is otherworldly enough that this film's exceedingly long life suddenly seems perfectly natural.
- As mentioned, based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Apparently, Stoker's widow sued the filmmakers for what is undeniably unauthorized use of the character.
