As the world gets reacquainted with Nosferatu in 2024, let's look at some of the interesting details of the original film.
Released in 1922, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror stands as a cornerstone of early cinema and a defining work of the German Expressionist movement. Directed by F. W. Murnau, the film reimagines Bram Stoker's Dracula with haunting visuals, innovative storytelling, and a nightmarish atmosphere that continues to influence horror films to this day.
Despite legal battles that nearly erased its existence, Nosferatu survives as a chilling exploration of fear, disease, and the uncanny, with Max Schreck's unforgettable portrayal of Count Orlok crafting the vampire as a symbol of both terror and tragedy.
This is a character that still captivates audiences, and is plainly still marketable. So crawl into your Nosferatu-inspired sarcophagus bed, maybe sip a cip of cocoa, and read these 11 facts about the film.
Origins and legal troubles
1. Nosferatu was directly inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but F. W. Murnau and his production company, Prana-Film, didn’t secure the rights to adapt the novel. To avoid legal issues, they changed names and settings: Count Dracula became Count Orlok, Jonathan Harker became Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim), and Mina Harker became Ellen (Greta Schröder). Despite these changes, the story was too similar, leading to a lawsuit by Stoker's widow, Florence Balcombe.
2. After the court ruling ordered all copies destroyed, it was the international distribution of the film that saved it. Copies shipped abroad escaped the destruction, and collectors later preserved these prints. Some versions we see today are reconstructed from various international prints.
Artistic and cultural significance
3. Nosferatu is widely credited with introducing or popularizing key vampire tropes, such as the vampire being destroyed by sunlight. In Dracula, sunlight only weakens the vampire; Murnau added this dramatic demise to heighten the stakes and give Orlok a visually striking end.
4. The film is a hallmark of German Expressionism, characterized by its use of exaggerated shadows, distorted spaces, and eerie visuals. These techniques create a surreal, nightmarish atmosphere that heavily influenced horror films for decades.
5. The original title of the film is Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens), highlighting its artistic ambitions. Murnau sought to blend horror with a poetic, almost operatic aesthetic.
Max Schreck and Count Orlok
6. The actor who portrayed Orlok, Max Schreck, has become a legend in his own right. Due to his convincing performance, rumors spread that he might have actually been a vampire. This myth was later explored in the film Shadow of the Vampire (2000), a fictionalized account of Nosferatu’s production, where Schreck is portrayed as a real vampire. In that film, Willem Dafoe appears as Max Schreck, who plays Count Orlok. In Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, Dafoe plays Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, and Count Orlok is played by Bill Skarsgård.
7. Orlok’s grotesque appearance, with his elongated fingers, sharp ears, and rat-like features, was meant to embody a plague-like menace. This tied into the post-World War I fears of disease and death, particularly during the Spanish flu pandemic and outbreaks of bubonic plague. Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre would build upon the rat/plague theme even further, though that film features a vampire named "Count Dracula," played by Klaus Kinski.
Themes, symbolism, and controversy
8. Why is the plague imagery so important? The film frequently associates Orlok with rats and disease, amplifying his role as a harbinger of death. His arrival on the ghost ship, coupled with the rats he brings, leads to an outbreak in Wisborg, reflecting public fears about the spread of illness through foreign entities.
This has led to some accusations that the characterization represents the phenomenon of "othering." One article suggests "Interpreting Nosferatu as containing antisemitism does not automatically imply that Nosferatu is connected to the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, nor does it suggest that Murnau himself was an antisemite."
9. Ellen is not merely a victim but also a heroic figure. She sacrifices herself by distracting Orlok until dawn, leading to his destruction. Her bravery adds a layer of agency to her character that isn’t always present in similar stories from the era.
Production and legacy facts
10. Nosferatu was filmed on location in various parts of Germany and Slovakia, with Orlok’s castle scenes shot at Orava Castle in Slovakia. These authentic settings add to the eerie realism of the film.
11. Nosferatu paved the way for the modern vampire genre, influencing films like Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931), Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), and countless other adaptations and homages. Its visual style and narrative structure are echoed in many horror films to this day.