Review of Nosferatu (1922) by Loren G — 04 Jul 2009

This was the first vampire film that was ever composed, and in many ways it is still the most frightening. The grainy quality and the bizarre way that movement appears in silent films of this era actually enhances the mood of this particular film.

It creates a feeling that the movement and behavior of Count Orlock (a mesmerzing performance by eccentric actor Max Schreck) is indeed unnatural and supernatural. This is one of the shining examples of German expressionism, which has long been one of my favorite styles in film.

It bears many of the tell-tale signs of the movement; highly exaggerated sets to give a disorienting and daunting perspective, very ominous lighting and shadow techniques (this is especially apparent in the classic scene where Orlock's shadow is creeping up the stairway), and of course an affinity for the color black.

Even though this was a severely altered version of Bram Stoker's classic Dracula, it is still in my mind the most potent adaptation of the book to date. You will also notice a number of motifs in this film that are popular in later horror films (even small, seemingly trivial things, like the young man venturing into a local bar and mentioning they are traveling somewhere that is known as dangerous among the townspeople, and all of the bar patrons become silent all of a sudden and stare at the young man).

This may not seem worth noting, but it is little touches like these that are intriguing because to this day many of the ideas in this film are still actively employed in modern horror films. This film is absolutely essential viewing as a historical document in the development of film, but it is still just a really awesome film as well.