Hey y'all let's see what's up today! Today I'm going to be reviewing and discussing Noferatu, specifically the 1922 version. This film is available on Shudder, and it's honestly one of my favorites. Please keep in mind, this film is over 100 years old, there was a lot of restoration done to the film and some of it had to be clipped together from various remaining pieces in order for it to be shown in the modern era.
The Summary
In the town of Wisborg Germany, estate agent Thomas Hutter is sent to Transylvania by his employer Herr Knock to attempt a sales pitch to Count Orlok. Knock advises Hutter to offer the Count an abandoned property right across the street from Hutter's own, as it is a fine property and appears to have what the Count is looking for. Hutter embarks on a journey through Transylvania, where locals seem frightened of his destination, even his carriage refuses to take him all the way to the estate of Count Orlok.
Upon his arrival, Hutter accidentally cuts his thumb during dinner. Orlock then displays some rather interesting behavior, as he attempts to lick the blood from the wound. Hutter pulls his hand away from the blood thirsty Count, and retires to bed. When he wakes the next morning, he finds two pinholes on the side of his neck which he attributes to mosquitos.
After arriving in Wisborg, many unexplainable deaths begin occurring. The town physicians blame it on an unnamed plague that has befallen the town. Ellen reads the book on vampires that Hutter had brought back with him, learning that a vampire can be killed if a pure hearted woman distracts it with her beauty. She opens the window to invite the Count in, but faints before she is able to kill him.
The Review
This film was directed by F.W Murmaw and, like most films from the 1920s, it is a silent film. This retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula introduced an interesting perspective on the concept of vampires in the horror scene. Vampires have, throughout most of the media that they've been featured in, been portrayed as these hauntingly beautiful creatures. They are also described as being very charismatic and at the very least polite. Characters like the Cullen family from Twilight, Carmilla, and even the Universal Monsters Dracula all have that in common, despite the other characteristics that set them apart from one another.
Count Orlok, however, is an... interesting looking character to say the least. He lacks these distinguishingly attractive features and charming personality that you would come to expect of a traditional vampire. I find this very refreshing, even in such an old film, because vampires are one of the oldest known folklore monsters, appearing in stories and films as early as 1047CE and potentially even long before then. It's really nice to see when directors take or add elements to a creature that is so widely known because it keeps the trope from getting stale.
By modern standards, this film is not scary. It's especially not scary if you have read or watched the original Dracula. I find the acting to be phenomenal, even for a silent film. Because there's not really a script the actors needed to be more expressive and I think they did that incredibly well. Fredrich Gustav Maximillian Schreck who played Count Orlock in this film had an incredible range of just downright unnerving facial expressions that were so befitting of the character; and I feel Greta Schröder did an amazing job conveying Ellen Hutter's anxiety throughout the film with just her eyes alone.
The costuming was fairly period accurate, which didn't surprise me given how closely Dracula was published (1897) and the making of the film in 1922. I am a bit of a nerd for historical fashion, so I love when films are able to get the costumes and sets accurate to the actual time period in which the story is supposed to be taking place. It adds to the experience and, in my opinion, it's really fun to pick out what is and isn't accurate.
Closing
Overall I think it is incredibly well done for its time. Obviously, compared to the reboot of Nosferatu or other modern horror films it's certainly lacking a lot of the elements we are using to seeing in in horror. However, this was a vital stepping stone for the genre, and for its time it would have been shocking and horrific for its audience. Films like this are incredibly important, and I'm so happy that we sort of have a way to preserve them. If you want to see more from me feel free to click the link below where you can find my other socials. Y'all take care, and thanks for stopping by!
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