[Review] Dave Rewinds Nosferatu, The Classic 98-Year-Old Vampire Horror Movie

If any movie has the right to be called the grandfather of horror movies it would be Nosferatu. Even if you haven’t seen this movie you know the story. If you have seen any adaptation of Dracula you have seen this storyso I will not bore you with a lengthy plot summary. Man goes to Dracu—-I mean Count Orlok’s castle and you know the rest. I am not saying this to dismiss Nosferatu but to just point out that even in the 20’s people were ripping off other works.

Up until this week I had not watched Nosferatu in it’s entirety. Of course I have seen clips over the years and it was in the background of a party or two but I have never actually sat down to watch it. While I may be a film buff, I will be the first to admit that silent films are not always the easiest to watch. Without dialogue something just feels off. That works in favor of this movie. This movie is in line with German Expressionism of the time and leans into shadows and mood. Nosferatu in fact can even kill with his shadow by grabbing a heart. The other reason this works greatly as a silent film is I don’t know if any voice could capture the creepiness of the images of County Orlok.

With his pointy nose and ridiculously long fingernails I can’t imagine a voice to match without sounding ridiculous. For a silent film it moves along fairly quickly.

The story behind the scenes is interesting as the production company was sued by Bram Stoker’s Estate for copyright infringement.

A German court demanded that all copies be destroyed. A copy was sent to the US where the copyright for Dracula was not in effect so it did not need to be destroyed. From my understanding it is this copy from which all future prints came from. The movie carries a strong legacy that is still strong today.

The movie Shadow of the Vampire is a great movie about the fictionalized making of Nosferatu where it suggests that Max Schreck, the actor who played Count Orlok, was really a vampire and was killing off the crew. If you get a chance to see this movie it is worth it for John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe.

For a 98-year- old silent movie, Nosferatu still moves along quickly and was enjoyable to watch.

Be Kind Rewind.