Nosferatu (1922) Re-Review by Jacob-the-Fox-Critic on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

"You have hurt yourself... your precious blood!"

Lets continue our Monster Mash with the oldest surviving Dracula film, which had to be slightly adjusted, where a vampire preys on the wife of his estate agent and brings the plague to their town; Nosferatu.

In 1838, Thomas Hutter lives in the fictional German town of Wisborg.

His employer, estate agent Herr Knock, sends Hutter to Transylvania to visit a new client named Count Orlok who plans to buy a house in Wisborg. Hutter entrusts his wife Ellen to his good friend Harding and Harding's sister Annie before embarking on his journey.

Nearing his destination in the Carpathian Mountains, Hutter stops at an inn for dinner.

The locals become frightened by the mere mention of Orlok's name and discourage him from traveling to his castle at night.

The next morning, Hutter takes a coach to a high mountain pass, but the coachman declines to take him any further than the bridge as nightfall is approaching.

Another coach appears after Hutter crosses the bridge and its coachman gestures for him to climb aboard.

Hutter is welcomed at a castle by Count Orlok. When Hutter is eating dinner and accidentally cuts his thumb, Orlok tries to suck the blood out, but his repulsed guest pulls his hand away.

Hutter wakes up to a deserted castle the morning after and notices fresh punctures on his neck which, in a letter he sends by courier on horseback to be delivered to his wife, he attributes to mosquitoes.

That night, Orlok signs the documents to purchase the house across from Hutter's own home in Wisborg and notices a photo of Hutter's wife, remarking that she has a "lovely neck."

Reading a book about vampires that he took from the local inn, Hutter starts to suspect that Orlok is a vampire.

With no way to bar the door of his bedroom, Hutter desperately tries to hide as midnight approaches.

Suddenly, the door begins to slowly open by itself; and, as Orlok enters, a terrified Hutter hides under the bed covers and falls unconscious. Meanwhile, at the same time back in Wisborg, Ellen arises from her own bed and sleepwalks to the railing of her bedroom's balcony.

She then starts walking on top of the railing, which gets the attention of her friend Harding, who is in the adjacent room.

When the doctor arrives, Ellen shouts Hutter's name and envisions Orlok in his castle threatening her unconscious husband.

The next day, Hutter explores the castle, only to retreat back into his room after he finds the coffin in which Orlok is resting dormant in the crypt. Hours later, Orlok piles up coffins on a coach and climbs into the last one before the coach departs, and Hutter rushes home after learning that.

The coffins are taken aboard a schooner, where the sailors discover rats in the coffins. All of the ship's crew later die, and Orlok takes control.

When the ship arrives in Wisborg, Orlok leaves unobserved, carries one of his coffins and moves into the house that he purchased.

Many deaths in the town follow after Orlok's arrival, which the town's doctors blame on an unspecified plague caused by the rats from the ship.

Knowing the truth of what's really going on, it's now up to Hutter and Ellen to find a way to vanquish Orlock.

The story is very well written as while it does have it's slow and boring moments here and there, the film does manage to be both very engaging with some good character moments and buildup, and legit creepy and disturbing moments. And these aspects are amplified by the film's gothic and eerie tone and atmosphere. Also, as an adaptation of "Dracula", while it does omit some things and had to change the names of the characters because the filmmakers were unable to get the film rights to the book, for the most part the film does a pretty solid job at following the book. Also, it's worth noting that this is the film to invent the idea of a vampire being killed by sunlight as in the book and other vampire stories before this film, sunlight only weakened a vampire's powers.

The horror aspects of the film are very effective as this film has lots of legit creepy and disturbing moments which are very memorable such as Orlock's unnatural movements, the creepy shadows, Orlock in the doorway, Orlock rising from his coffin, the implications of many deaths, and more.

The film does also have some pretty decent drama as the relationship between Hutter and Ellen, and how it's put to the test throughout all of Orlock's evil-doing.

The production design is very well done as it does help the movie look as nice and eerie as possible such as the sets and setpieces being well made and having some pretty decent detail, the actual filming locations featured are well utilized, the lighting is very effective and creepy, and the costumes, makeup, and clothing are all very well crafted. Especially the makeup and design for Orlock.

The special effects are also very well done for the time as while this movie may be minimal on effects, there are still a few that are featured and are quite effective such as the few shots of blood, and Orlock's disintegration by sunlight.

The characters are all pretty well written and interesting since they are all very memorable and have some great moments like the grotesque Orlock who's a great and creepy villain, the inquisitive Hutter and his wife Ellen, the deranged Knock, the intelligent professors Bulwer and Sievers, and some of the more minor characters like Ruth and Harding.

The acting is very good as the acotrs all give some great visual and physical performances such as Max Schreck as Orlock, Gustav von Wangenheim as Hutter, Greta Schroder as Ellen, Alexander Granach as Knock, John Gottowt as Bulwer, Gustav Botz as Sievers, and more.

The music is very good as while it does vary depending on what version you'll find, with the version i found, the music is very well composed and does a great job at capturing the movie's creepy, dark, and intriguing tone.

Overall, this is a great and very well crafted vampire film and one of the creepiest movies out there. This is a must watch for any fan of classic horror, and it's nice to see that Orlock has gotten more recognition in recent years, if not thanks to a certain yellow sponge.

Cast:

Max Schreck as Count Orlok

Gustav von Wangenheim as Thomas Hutter

Greta Schröder as Ellen Hutter

Alexander Granach as Knock

Georg H. Schnell as Shipowner Harding

Ruth Landshoff as Ruth

John Gottowt as Professor Bulwer

Gustav Botz as Professor Sievers

Max Nemetz as The Captain of The Empusa

Wolfgang Heinz as First Mate of The Empusa

Hardy von Francois as Mental Hospital Doctor

Albert Venohr as Sailor Two

Guido Herzfeld as Innkeeper

Karl Etlinger as Student with Bulwer

Fanny Schreck as Hospital Nurse

Crew:

Directed by F. W. Murnau

Screenplay by Henrik Galeen

Produced by Enrico Dieckmann and Albin Grau

Music by Hans Erdmann

Misc.

Based on "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Production company: Prana Film

Distributed by Film Arts Guild

Release date: March 4, 1922

Runtime: Between 1 hour, 3 minutes and 1 hour, 34 minutes, depending on the version and transfer speed