BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 5: NOSFERATU

There have been many eras of horror cinema, eras boasting influential and revolutionary filmmaking not just in the horror genre but in cinema as a whole. The era of German Impressionism horror during the Silent Film days saw the debut of many legendary filmmakers and artists, showcasing new approaches to storytelling and wildly original cinematic imagery. Visionary directors like Paul Leni (WAXWORKS, THE CAT AND THE CANARY, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS), Fritz Land (METROPOLIS, M, DR. MABUSE), and Robert Wiene (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE HANDS OF ORLAC) along with several others not only defined Silent horror cinema but helped push the boundaries of what movies were capable of.

Among this list of directors is F.W. Murnau, the master behind the first and perhaps the greatest vampire film ever made: NOSFERATU ~ A SYMPHONY OF HORROR. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's DRACULA, shadows and light are employed with chilling effectiveness, still frightening today as it was nearly 100 years ago. Max Schreck plays Count Orlok (Dracula) giving a truly haunting performance that has since become iconic of the silent horror period and one of the identifying images of horror cinema as a whole. Everyone knows the image of Nosferatu even if they don't know where it came from.

Horror fiction has even created a whole mythology and subspecies of vampires based off of Schreck's Count Orlok design. Of all the cinematic vampires Max Schreck's vampire design is the only true rival to Bela Lugosi's in terms of recognition and pop-culture consciousness. Have I built it up enough yet?

No. To add to it, Nosferatu is my all-time favorite vampire film and, with the right soundtrack, can be one of the scariest movies you've ever seen.

THE PLOT

Real estate agent, Hutter, is dispatched to Transylvania to help broker a deal with an old world count who's interested in purchasing property in Wisbourg, Germany. Coincidentally the property in question is across from Hutter's own home. The farther Hutter travels to the Count's castle the farther he finds himself from the modern world. Hutter enters an older and stranger world filled with fear and superstition. Upon meeting the count Hutter realizes how real these fears are. After finalizing the purchase Hutter finds himself a prisoner of the frightening Count Orlok. As the count leaves for Wisbourg Hutter realizes the threat heading toward his wife, family, and friends. He must escape his confines and beat the count to Wisbourg if he is to save those he loves from undead horror.

WHAT I LIKED

Vampire Schreck. I've already raved about Max Schreck's performance as Count Orlok so I won't repeat myself but suffice it to say that this is the main reason to watch this movie. The camerawork and lighting in this film is absolutely stunning, showcasing the vampire in incredible ways. The framing and angles used to film Schreck enhance the actors performance creating a beautiful and terrifying marriage of acting and photography.

For sometime it was believed that Max Schreck had only appeared in this one film and rumors and mysteries abounded about Schreck's actual person, the most audacious of which suggesting that he was actually a vampire. There is a whole movie based off this idea, a faux documentary about the making of Nosferatu titled SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE with Willem Dafoe as Schreck. Obviously this is not true but it just lends further credence to Max Schreck's amazing performance. Seriously people, this is the scariest vampire ever filmed.

Documentary Style. Being filmed almost one hundred years ago, there is clear degradation to the film. Film grain, scratches, and fuzz litter the movie as you watch it. For me this adds to the experience of watching the movie. There is a distinct authenticity to the film, knowing that everything you're seeing was done in camera and not CGI or animated effects. In sort, it's all real, practical effects, and make-up effects. What we're seeing is what the actors and crew were seeing. As a result the film feels archival, like it was an unearthed documentary film. This creates mystique and a bizarre abstract realism to it, the kind that very few horror films possess.

Soundtrack Sourcing. This is a silent film but that doesn't mean there isn't sound. The film is accompanied by a symphonic score. But due to this film being in public domain usually each different release of this movie has its own unique score. One of the benefits to silent films is the ability to apply one's own background music. There are whimsical scores for some editions of Nosferatu and then there are freaking terrifying scores. Finding these terrifying scores can elevate this film to incredible levels of horror. It has long been a hobby of mine to assemble the most terrifying tracks to create my perfect silent film horror score. Needless to say, watching this movie with a scary soundtrack really showcases the power of the film.

NITPICKS

Piggy backing off of what I was just saying, one of the ways that this movie can be completely ruined is viewing it with a bad soundtrack. The acting style of the 1920's was a little exaggerated at times. And coupled with uneven film speeds (those moments where the actors look sped up) the motion can appear rather silly. If you find a more whimsical score accompanying this film it can reduce this movie to slap-stick comedy (which I guess has its own enjoyable experience to be had). What I'm saying is that with silent films, especially silent horror films, everything hinges on one viewing the film with the right soundtrack. Too many times have I come across an edition of Nosferatu where the soundtrack doesn't live up to the imagery. It's a major example of how important music is to horror films.

THE VERDICT

Nosferatu is like Citizen Kane or Casablanca. It's a horror film you just have to see. The performances, the camerawork, and the iconography are a wonder to behold. But I stress that you need to watch the film with the right musical accompaniment or the effect is lost. Jaws and Halloween were said to be not scary when viewed without music. But once their iconic scores were applied the films became terrifying. The same is true for Nosferatu. Almost 100 years old and still horrifying to this day. Nosferatu is my personal favorite vampire movie.

Overall Ranking: 10 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10