Nosferatu 1922—photo courtesy of: twm1340 (Flickr.com)
Nosferatu, the Original 1922 Silent Film Classic
I will never forget the first time I got to see the classic horror movie Nosferatu starring German actor, Max Schreck. Max’s full name was Friedrich Gustav Max Schreck. I can see why he shortened it. Anyway, I digress. Back to the first time I saw the movie. It was sometime back in 1976, America’s Bicentennial year, when I was a young 20 year old woman. The show was being aired on PBS. Most people who watched PBS in those days, mainly before cable and Direct TV, knew far too well how difficult it was to watch anything good through a broadcast-generated, UHF snow storm.
I t was late on that evening back in 1976, that I sat down to try and squint through the UHF blizzard and watch Nosferatu, produced in Germany, way back in 1922. I’ve got to say I got cold chills and was really scared the first time I saw him rise up out of that coffin of his on board the ship. I am seriously getting chills just thinking about it now, and I don’t think it is the air conditioner. That is how it affected me. I believe it was even more spooky through the snow on the TV.
Video of the Ship Scene (no soundtrack) That Scared Me Silly:
I don’t believe the 1979 version of the movie, starring Klaus Kinski, can hold a candle to the original version of the movie, Nosferatu, although your mileage may vary. The eerie feel of this vintage black and white, silent film is unmatched in my opinion.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, was directed by the great F.W. Murnau. Max Schreck played the title vampire, Count Orlak. The story was based on Bram Stoker’s book, Dracula. If you have never had the pleasure of watching this great movie, I urge you to rent it and watch it this Halloween, or any time. You can also view the entire movie below. Wait for a gloomy night with some rolling thunder to achieve the full effect. Make sure you have a throw pillow handy to cling to!
Nosferatu: The Complete Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO5mMVeFZEQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Learn More About Max Schreck and Nosferatu:
- 1922 Silent movie, Nosferatu
- Max Schreck
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Pity Robert Pattison – all those adoring fans to pick from and he picks possibly the one girl in the world who isn’t obsessed by him to settle down with. Doh! LOL!
Isn’t that the truth?
Cindi
The original Nosferatu movie is by far the best, as well as the most creepy version out there! Thanks for posting this great article!
Alicia
I couldn’t agree with you more, Alicia!
I love this old movie, and have to agree with you that it is still very creepy.
Yes it is, Andrew. Scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it!
Cindi
That was one freakin’ scary flick considering how old it is. Thank you for making it possible for me to watch the entire thing.
I’m glad you enjoyed watching it, Chery. It does remain quite creepy!