NOSFERATU TAKE TWO
WORDS Katie Kasperson
With the iconic silent picture recently celebrating its centennial anniversary, we look back on the 1922 Nosferatu and its influence on vampire films R eleased in 1922, the original Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror – a silent film that was integral to the German expressionist
movement – is perhaps what catalysed our popular interest in the blood-sucking, supernatural creatures otherwise known as vampires. Loosely based on the Bram Stoker novel Dracula (and sued by Stoker’s estate over its similarity), Nosferatu set the standard for the modern horror genre, with its influence stretching the last 100 years of cinema. The literary work takes place in Whitby, England, but Nosferatu – titled Eine Symphonie des Grauens in its original German – diverges from the source material, with Count Dracula renamed as Count Orlok and other details, such as the setting and major plot points, also altered. Despite these distinctions, the court ruled in favour of Stoker’s estate and ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed – however, as we now know, several (score-less versions) survived. The 1922 film has been lauded for its exceptional pacing and rhythmic nature, which were essential to its success in the silent cinema age. Director FW Murnau used a metronome during production, while Henrik Galeen’s screenplay has been described as resembling poetry. The motion picture – shot by Fritz Arno Wagner (and the uncredited Günther Krampf) on a single camera due to budget restrictions – was filmed primarily in Germany, with the ‘Transylvanian’ exteriors done in Slovakia.
RAISING THE STAKES Count Orlok looms in a doorway in an iconic shot from the original film
production design, set builds, costumes and makeup – all imbued with occultist undertones – made the movie what it is. It’s more ominous than anything else – a slow burn of a story that’s resulted in some of the most iconic gothic images of the last century. Even more impressively, it has inspired countless remakes and references (hash-slinging slasher, anyone?). Robert Eggers is the latest to adapt the haunting tale, adding his own slant to Nosferatu while bringing the timeless story into the 21st century.
Nosferatu isn’t as scary as we might expect a modern horror film to be, but it excels in its moodiness – a testament to cinematography and characterisation. Count Orlok appears inhuman, haunting his victims in the shadows rather than the sun; Nosferatu is, on record, the first film to depict vampires as dying in the daylight (now a common trope, as seen in the mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows , for instance). Artist Albin Grau is arguably the one to thank for Nosferatu ’s lasting impact. His
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