Nosferatu is a German horror film. It was released in 1922 by the Film Arts Guild and was directed by F. W. Murnau. It stars Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder and Alexander Granach. This film was shot in 1921 and is an unauthorized retelling of Bram Stoker’s famous 1897 novel “Dracula.” Due to the retelling they could not use the names like “vampire” and “Count Dracula.” But that didn’t stop Stoker’s relatives from suing and having all copies of the film destroyed. Despite this, not all copies of the film were destroyed and has since become a masterpiece in cinema. It’s widely regarded as influential and is one of the highest reviewed horror films of all time.
Nosferatu follows the story of Thomas Hutter (Wanenhiem), a man living in the fictional city of Wisborg in Germany. One day his boss, Knock (Granach), informs him that he will be going to Transylvania to visit their new client Count Orlok (Schreck). Before leaving, Hutter entrusts his wife, Ellen (Schröder), to his friend and his sister. On his journey, Hutter stops at an inn for dinner. The locals overhear where Hutter is going and warn him from going to Orlok’s castle at night, for fear of a werewolf. The next day, Hutter travels to a mountain pass, but his driver refuses to take him further due to it being nightfall. Hutter travels onward when he is met by a black coach which takes him to Orlok’s castle. Strange things begin to happen to Hutter, Ellen and the rest of Wisborg as what they think a breakout of the plague is upon them. Little do they know that an evil entity is trying to overtake them.
This film adheres to the genre well and never tries to be anything other than horror. For the earliest horror films, you need to put yourself in the mindset of a person in the 1920s. Nowadays I would say we’re pretty desensitized to the genre. It became watered down, oversaturated and for the most part unoriginal. But, in the 1920s a film like this would scare the hell out of a person. The tension it builds throughout, coupled with the myth behind vampires and werewolves, as well as the scary thought of getting the plague would be terrifying to watch unfold before your eyes. You could argue that there is fair bit of romance, but once Hutter actually leaves on his journey a lot of the lovey-dovey stuff goes out the window.
Genre really ties in with purpose in Nosferatu. Most people would say that there really is no purpose in this film. This just tells a fictional story of a vampire unsuccessfully trying to take over a town. While you could argue you this, I took it as more of a cautionary tale. Sure it gives you the obvious warnings of the plague. But I think it also warns us of the danger of these supernatural beings if they do exist. Not only could that something like this exist, but the supernatural things that they could overtake you with. Throughout the film we were greeted with excerpts from a book cautioning readers of the dangers of the conventional “vampire.” They drain your blood and can ever overtake you with merely their shadows.  So you could always be ready for anything that may, or may not, exist.
