Nosferatu

A sad truth about certain films is that it is easier to comprehend their influence on modern cinema than it is to appreciate their startling originality and initial impact. Widely hailed as the first Horror film, it is possible to view Murnau’s Nosferatu in this light; Max Schreck‘s deeply unsettling portrayal of the Vampire, and the pestilence he brings to the fictional German town of Wisborg played a key role in forming expectations and conventions of the genre still identifiable nearly a century after its first release. Yet, Murnau’s striking visual style elevates the film above the majority of its successors; beautifully rendered mountain landscapes and medieval small towns are picturesque settings for the iconic shadows of Nosferatu that retain their chilling power amidst a glut of derivative filmic retellings of the Vampire myth. Nosferatu is not merely a basis for an entire cinematic genre; it is also one of the finest moments in the history of European film.