This leads right into the camera angles and artistic choices. As I just mentioned the use of tinted lens to tell us the time of day was an awesome way to let the viewer know what time of day it was. This is pretty important because you need to know when a vampire can freely roam. The use of close up shots and one shots of a given room or scene are pretty much the bread and butter of Nosferatu. The biggest scene that stood out to me was the marching of the caskets near the end of the film. Showing off a big open shot, while also showing that everything was indeed limited with era in which it was filmed.
Finally, we get to the acting. The acting in Noseratu is a mixed bag. At times Hutter (Wangenheim) and Ellen (Schröder) are perfect for their roles. Schröder played Ellen, the damsel in distress turned savoir of the town well. While Wangenheim played Hutter, a lighthearted yet curious man well too. Especially early on when they’re setting up the story of them falling for each other and showing them living together. The overacting was there, but you didn’t mind seeing two people in love. Later on in the film though, when things became direr, the overacting really came into play. Over exaggerated facial expressions and body movements ran rampant and were really noticeable. Though I understand why they had to do it since they had no voice to let us know exactly how they were feeling. The other standout in the cast was Schreck as Count Orlok. Count Orlok is the perfect blend of creepy, methodical, maniacal and above all, scary. Orlok may not look scary by today’s standards, but the bald head, the pointed ears and the pitch black coat is still menacing. He silently walks through Wisborg, claiming victim after victim. We eventually see a train of coffins being carried through town. A testament to the evil powers he has evoked. Count Orlok is a creepy as they come and Schreck played him perfectly.
Nosferatu is a film I’ve always heard of but had never seen. The picture of Orlok in that episode of Spongebob always stuck with me. As recently as this weekend I noticed Nosferatu playing in the background in one of the scenes in Scream 2. It has stood the test of time as a defining film in the horror genre, to this day even. This film is creepy, acted admirably, looks good and can get into your head if you let it. Just don’t let the shadow of it take your heart.
