Nosferatu
Director: F.W. Murnau
Year Released: 1922
Rating: 3.0
Classic film of the Bram Stoker novel and arguably the most important horror movies ever made - like Dreyer's Vampyr, the wear-and-tear on the negative gives it an added 'mystique,' and one that will only grow to be more haunting as the years progress. Max Schreck is the de facto vampire, complete with elongated fingers and bat-like visage - what makes his presence all the more unsettling is the lack of extensive prosthetics and modern gimmickry to turn him into something obviously manufactured. Strange, too, is the soundtrack on this particular 'version' I saw, which uses songs by Type O Negative - the band's throaty growl and spooky synthesizers don't sound totally out-of-place.
