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Dracula: In the Shadow of the Nosferatu

By Ken "Manic Exorcism" Rogers

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Nosferatu (1922)

It would only be a short year later before the defining Dracula film would astound and repulse audiences world wide. German filmmaker and rebel F.W. Murnau brought nightmares to life with Nosferatu.

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It was during the age of German Expressionism, when international cinema was scaring audiences out of their wits! Movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Golem, and Faust were winning movie-goers over to the dark side. At long last Satan was able to walk and dance before humanity’s widening eyes as viewers sat in terror and watched Hell come to life in pieces like Dante’s Inferno! What may seem tame to us today (in our age of torture porns and exploitation) was nothing short of horrifying to early viewers. Cinema pulled back a taboo curtain and opened the supernatural to us all.  It became evident that the dark side was had only a camera’s flicker away from entering our daily lives.  To join the Devil up on screen was none other than Satan’s favored son – Dracula! And it’s all thanks to Murnau.

Murnau’s Nosferatu slid in among his peers and took vicious dominance. The film is as ripe as a bloated corpse in terms of menacing atmosphere and grotesque glamor.  In this movie, Dracula is the incarnation of purest evil in its most heinous form.

The ghoulish role is brought to life by the brilliant Max Schreck, our first recognized Count Dracula. Or, Graf Orlok as he’s known in the movie. He moves with the upright stiffness of the undead and there is not a single glimmer of suave sexuality to be found in this role. He bears resemblance to a rat and rightly so! He is the harbinger of plagues after all. This putrescent creature is walking death, one that slides across the balmy underbelly of the mortal world to feed upon beautiful people while they sleep. Orlok is a ghastly fiend.

image via drafthouse

Whether a person has seen the film or not they can readily recognize some of its more iconic moments. The scene of the Count slithering up the staircase for one.  Or his gaunt body filling the threshold, blocking all escape from his presence.  And those staring eyes that never blink! They pierce straight through to the your soul.

Nosferatu has survived the decades and was at one point thought to have been lost to us! Luckily though it’s a gem recovered from the past and saved from obscurity.

It was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog and goes by the title Nosferatu the Vamypre. As far as remakes go it’s a very good movie, and is worth a watch. It shares in the same atmosphere introduced by Murnau. Shreck is still the superior vampire between the two movies though.

However I have to recommend Shadow of the Vampire (2000). It’s a biopic about the making of Nosferatu. In this movie John Malkovich (Beowulf, Ripley’s Game, Man in the Iron Mask) plays F.W. Murnau while the role of Max Schreck is brought to life by the one and only Willem Dafoe (Antichrist, Last Temptation of Christ, Spider-Man 1-3, Platoon). The twist in this movie: Max Schreck really is a vampire and was hired by Murnau to give the movie far more authenticity.

Dafoe is one of my favorite actors and never disappoints. He plays Schreck so beautifully and brings a sympathetic beauty to an otherwise very nasty creature.  I’m a sucker for biopics anyway, and this one ranks among the best I’ve seen. Highly recommended.

There is yet another remake of Nosferatu in the works even now. I admit the snob in me was a little apprehensive when I first heard the news. Then I heard the director of The VVitch (Robert Eggers) was behind it.  That’s enough to certainly perk my interest. Considering the demonic tones he brought us with The VVitch I’m confident his take on this classic will be chilling.

Nosferatu is a great movie, and one I love to revisit. It’s a foundation in horror cinema and has proven the test of time. It’s images are still frightening and it’s never lost it’s dreamlike quality.  As with other silent horror movies, I like to mute the sound and play some other soundtracks while watching . I recommend Suspiria or Phantasm II, personal favorites for silent horror movies.

Next: Bram Stoker's Dracula: Twenty-Five Years of Beauty and Horror

This has been Manic Exorcism. Thank you for joining me. Next time we’ll be taking a look at the most iconic role of Dracula ever played. Until then stay safe, dear reader. There are things in the shadows, things with red eyes and a taste for blood. Even if they only exist behind the mind’s eye, it doesn’t mean they can’t drain you of a peaceful night’s sleep. So wear a ring of garlic to bed and keep your oak stakes handy. I’ll be seeing you again very soon.

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