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Watch Nosferatu (1922) for Free | Public Domain Classic Movie | Film Atlas

Nosferatu

1922DE89 min

Nosferatu

The mysterious Count Orlok summons a happily married real estate agent to his castle, located up in the Transylvanian mountains, to finalise a terrifying deal.

Directed byF. W. Murnau

Written byHenrik Galeen, Bram Stoker

Critical Consensus

7.8

IMDb

7.7

TMDB

Nosferatu received generally positive to overwhelmingly positive reviews, recognized early on for its visual style and mood-creating elements, despite some initial critiques regarding the vampire's corporeal appearance. Later, it was widely hailed as an influential silent era masterpiece that shaped the horror genre.

The Cast

Max Schreck

Count Orlok

Gustav von Wangenheim

Hutter

Greta Schröder

Ellen

Georg H. Schnell

Harding

Ruth Landshoff

Ruth

Gustav Botz

Professor Sievers

Alexander Granach

Knock

John Gottowt

Professor Bulwer

Max Nemetz

A Ship Captain

Wolfgang Heinz

Sailor 1

Trivia

Stoker's widow sued over the adaptation's copyright violation, and a court ruling ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed, but several prints of Nosferatu survived.

Critic and historian Kim Newman declared Nosferatu as a film that set the template for the genre of horror film.

The physical appearance of Count Orlok, with his hooked nose, long claw-like fingernails, and large bald head, has been compared to stereotypical caricatures of Jewish people.

The idea for making this vampire film saw its genesis in producer Albin Grau's war-time experience, where he encountered a local farmer who told him of his father, believed to be an undead vampire.

Orlok and his servant Knock communicate in Enochian, a constructed language said to be that of the angels, recorded by English occultist John Dee and alchemist Edward Kelley.

Reviews

Critics

F

Filmkurier

4/10

Stated the vampire appeared too corporeal and brightly lit to be genuinely scary.

H1

Hans Wollenberg (photo-Stage No. 11)

9/10

Described the film as a 'sensation' and praised Murnau's nature shots as 'mood-creating elements'.

VZ

Vossische Zeitung

8/10

Praised the film for its visual style.

KN

Kim Newman

9/10

Declared it as a film that set the template for the genre of horror film.

RC

Rotten Tomatoes (critical consensus)

10/10

An influential silent era masterpiece with an eerie, gothic feel and a chilling performance that set the template for horror films.

RE

Roger Ebert

9/10

Added to 'The Great Movies' list, noting it remains effective, not scaring but haunting viewers.

Audience

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