Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu (1922) — a landmark of German Expressionist cinema — is a silent, black-and-white horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and anchored by Max Schreck’s unforgettable, rat-like Count Orlok. The story follows young real-estate clerk Thomas Hutter, who travels to Transylvania to finalize a sale to the mysterious Count. Hutter’s wife Ellen is left behind in the quiet town of Wisborg. Strange omens, deaths and a spreading plague announce Orlok’s slow journey toward the town, and Hutter soon realizes he has unleashed a supernatural predator. Ellen becomes the emotional center of the film when she senses the encroaching darkness and is faced with a terrible, selfless choice to stop the vampire. What you’ll experience watching Nosferatu: - A moody, atmospheric horror built on shadow, silhouette, stark contrasts and uncanny set design rather than gore or jump scares. The film’s visuals — angular camera work, extreme lighting and haunting frames — create persistent unease. - Slow, deliberate pacing that emphasizes dread and inevitability. Scenes breathe; tension accumulates through images and composition rather than dialogue. - Expressionist performances: exaggerated gestures and presence (especially Schreck as Orlok) that read powerfully in silent cinema and heighten the uncanny. - Themes of contagion, otherness and sacrificial love woven into a mythic, almost folkloric plot. The film uses the idea of plague as both literal and symbolic fallout of Orlok’s arrival. - A cinematic experience often accompanied by modern musical scores in screenings — the silent format leaves room for the music to shape mood and intensity. If you appreciate classic filmmaking, visual storytelling, and a slow-burn, uncanny brand of horror, Nosferatu is a seminal, haunting work that still influences vampire imagery today. Expect to be unsettled more by its atmosphere and iconic imagery than by explicit fright.

Actors: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim

Director: F.W. Murnau

Runtime: 94 min

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

8.0 /10 7.9 /10 8.0 /10