Review of Nosferatu (1922) by Andrew F — 15 Aug 2009

Probably the first horror movie to be considered a "classic," it also infringed on a number of copyrights from Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel while claiming to not be a real adaptation.

Interestingly enough, I think it's the most interesting take on the material, more so than any official version. F.W. Murnau was a master of cinematography and atmosphere before these things were probably even taken into account (let's face it, the German expressionists were the only ones who really seemed to care a whole lot how their films looked in the early days).

It drags a bit in the middle, but its images burn into your brain forever once you see them, not the least of which being Max Shreck's Count Orlok, a ghoulish rat-like figure who impresses me far more than the "sexy" vampires we're usually left with.

All the good horror flicks of the next couple decades seem to have taken their stylistic cues from Nosferatu.