Nosferatu (1922) | The Film Index

Film Record

Nosferatu

Country: Germany
Release: 4 MAR 1922
Runtime: 80 min
Original Language: German

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Nosferatu (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau, is a silent horror film of the German Expressionist movement that adapts Bram Stoker’s Dracula, albeit without authorization, which resulted in legal disputes.

The narrative centers on Thomas Hutter, a young man who journeys to the isolated Carpathian Mountains to meet Count Orlok, an unusual nobleman looking to purchase land in Hutter’s hometown. Hutter quickly discovers that Orlok is a vampire with sinister motives, unleashing fear, and a strange plague when he relocates to the city. The legendary depiction of Orlok, characterized by his emaciated look and haunting movements, established the benchmark for vampire representation in film.

Why It's Here

A foundational text showing German Expressionism moving out of the artificial studio environment and into the real world. F.W. Murnau proves that natural landscapes and real castles can be rendered just as terrifying and psychologically distorted as painted sets.

What to Watch For: The use of shadows as physical, autonomous entities (e.g., the shadow creeping up the stairs). Watch for Murnau's early use of stop-motion photography and negative film to create a supernatural, uncanny speed for the vampire's carriage, distancing the antagonist from the natural laws of physics.