So I’m seven films into this series (click here to see the whole series), where I rewatch horror films I previously disliked to see if there was something there I missed the first time. And this time around, I’m going with a classic. By which I mean, it’s probably older than any of my grandparents. Nosferatu, one of the earliest horror films and the first Dracula adaptation, as well as an example of German expressionist film. It’s become something of a cult classic since it’s release over ninety years ago, and its villain, Count Orlok, has become almost a meme, but longer lasting.
And can I just say, my own opinion aside, it’s a freaking miracle we even have this movie? Not kidding, we nearly lost this film to copyright infringement. Prana Films, the studio that made this film, was started and owned by two businessmen who never made a film before, and apparently had no idea you had to ask permission before doing an adaptation of a non-public domain work. Bram Stoker’s widow sued the company when she found out, and the company was forced to destroy all their copies…except or two copies, which have been copied and cobbled together to preserve the film to this day. Which is why if you watch the film today, sometimes the film is pure black-and-white, and at other times it’s sepia-toned.*
Okay, enough of that. Time to talk about the actual film.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT: It’s Dracula, just with everyone’s names changed: Dracula is now Orlok, Harker is Hutter, Mina is Ellen, etc. Do you need more information than that?
WHY I DIDN’T LIKE IT: I was fifteen or sixteen when I saw this film for the first time. And while I enjoyed older films well before then, I just didn’t get into it. I knew the plot, so I was never surprised or scared. It was just…boring. Really poisoned silent films for me.
WHY I REWATCHED IT: I just thought it would be good for this series. And in any case, while I still don’t read it that much, I appreciate classic literature much more than I did then. Maybe that extended to films too.
THOUGHTS: Um…it’s not good, but I find it hard to hate.
Look, you need to have a certain frame of mind to enjoy silent films, and I’ve only enjoyed one of the silent films I’ve seen (which was made in 2005, so…), so it’s safe to say I don’t have that frame of mind.
But I did enjoy it at times…as a comedy. Yeah, I know it’s a horror film, but I just couldn’t help but laugh at the film. There was so much to make fun of! For one thing, the make-up makes every guy look like a serial killer about to take a victim, especially when they laugh or smile, and every girl like a drag queen. I just couldn’t help but giggle. (Also, the character Knock is probably the inspiration for Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events. Thank the make-up department for that!).
And because it was a silent film, I could just sit in my living room and make goofy voices. I remember during one moment, when Hutter comes home to tell Ellen he’s going abroad, I responded to the dialogue card by saying, “Hi husband, good to see you too. I had a wonderful day, thank you for asking. Now what are you talking about?” And when Hutter runs into another room to start packing, I said, “So this is what Marge and Lois are talking about when their husbands announce they’re about to do something stupid.” It was hysterical.
Unfortunately, the best of on-the-spot comedy couldn’t help the film from dragging. For a 95-minute film, it felt so much longer, and like nothing was happening at all. Characters just took their time, said things, and reacted to things. There was nothing to get your blood pumping at all.
I could go on with the problems I had with this film, but that’d be a veeeery long blog post. I’ll just save time by saying, I had many more issues that kept me from enjoying it.
Still, Count Orlok is cool looking, and the sets are really pretty. I’ll give the film that.
JUDGMENT: I’m sorry, but it’s just not my kind of film. I know it has its fans, but I’m not one of them. 1.5 out of 5. I’m sad to say that, due to its place in film history, but that’s just how I feel.
Well, I think I might enjoy this next film a bit more. And if I don’t, there’s a good chance I’ll be reviled in the comments for it. in fact, people might shout “REDRUM” at me. That’s right, I’m rewatching Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining next.
Until next time, pleasant nightmares!
*Also, the version of the film I watched was restored in Wiesbaden, the city in Germany I lived in for four months back in 2015! That’s really cool, if you ask me. My former home helped to create a beautiful print of a classic movie. I wonder if my supervisors knew about that?
Rami Ungar The Writer 
I didn’t know about the whole copyright infringement case against this! Very interesting!
I watched this for the first time a few years ago, but honestly don’t remember my impressions of it (It was apparently not very memorable). They did have veeeeery different ideas of pacing and such back then, though, didn’t they? And their standards for shocking are also far from shocking by our standards. I think to enjoy it you have to really be able to put yourself into the old timey frame of mind (again though, as I said, I can’t remember much about this one, so that might not help, either :p There was a big staircase, right? I think I remember a staircase…)
There was a staircase, and a shadow moving up it. You have that part correct.
Ha ha! Well, that all I remember then. :p
I also didn’t know about the copyright infringement case. As an author of books, I’m glad the widow won.
That aside…
Yep. The pacing was a lot different back then. The same was true in books. Things were slow and drawn out, and it took about halfway into something to finally get to the point. When I watch old movies, I usually do something else while I wait for things to get fun. I don’t think I’ll be watching this one, though. I hate silent films.
Your riffs were funny, by the way. I laughed when I read them.
(By the way, this is Ruth. I’m trying to update my pen name’s site, and I didn’t to sign back into my Ruth account of WordPress to comment.)
I thought that name sounded familiar.
Glad you found my riffs funny, Ruth. I know that not all of my jokes land, so when they do, I’m glad people are willing to tell me.