Nosferatu

Nosferatu is a scary freaking movie. It's not pop out and make your heart race scary or blood and guts scary, it's psychologically scary. Yes Orlok aka Dracula aka Nosferatu is a creepy looking character and even for a movie made in the 1920's the makeup for the character is outstanding, but he isn't the only reason the movie works on so many levels.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing for people who know nothing about the movie is that it is both old and silent. Neither of these characteristics are degrading to the movies overall effect or quality in any way. The different filters used in the movie to depict night, day, and inside lighting all lend their own special touches to make the movie feel timeless. While watching this movie there were several times where it felt as though Nosferatu was made in 2010. The silent movie is a dying if not dead genre and after watching Nosferatu that is a sad thought indeed. The soundtrack to the movie is both sweeping and emotional. Since there is no dialog it is up to the movie and the physical acting of the actors to tell the story. Instead of a modern movie where characters discuss or express their feelings through subtle movements and facial expressions Nosferatu relies on exaggerated physical motions to explain the feelings and great music to set up each scene. This kind of film makes me yearn for a breath of originality to come back into films today, if only for a sense of nostalgia.

The story is surprisingly simple for a complex looking film. Dracula wants to buy a house, man goes to talk to Dracula, Dracula comes to the house and kills a whole lot of people. What makes it all so incredible is the sense of connection you get to characters like Ellen, the wife of Hutter. She wants nothing more than to see her dear husband again and in the end you feel a heartbreaking attachment to the woman. The crazed Knock creates sick and twisted moments that are almost as memorable as the famous scene of Orlok, Dracula, slowly coming up the stairs. The feeling of dread that Orlok instills in the townsfolk is almost palpable and the destruction he's caused when it's all over is terrifying.

Nosferatu is a movie that is absolutely horrifying if you think about it all when it's over. The movie laid the ground for hallmarks of Vampire fiction and is to this day an amazing achievement in film. It's a movie that sticks with you deep inside your head long after you watch it and for that it deserves immense credit.