100 Years Of NOSFERATU: F.W. Murnau’s Legendary Vampire Film Back On The Big Screen In 2022
F. W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece, Nosferatu turns 100 in 2022. Unofficially based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Murnau’s film sees Max Shreck’s vampire, Count Orlock as he becomes involved with estate agent, Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) and his wife Ellen (Greta Schröder).The estate of Bram Stoker wasn’t happy with Nosferatu, suing the film’s makers and while names of the characters have been changed, and the word ‘vampire’ has been replaced by ‘Nosferatu’, the core story of Stoker’s text remains the same. Most of the film’s prints were destroyed following the legal action, but enough survived to help the film become a classic.
In celebration of the centenary, Eureka Entertainment will bring Nosferatu back to cinemas in the UK & Ireland on 3 April 2022. If you haven’t see F. W. Murnau’s film on the big screen, then you really should. It’s stunning film to look at and rightfully deserves its classic status.
The influence of Nosferatu on the horror genre cannot be over hyped, with the film’s strong visuals and eerie tone becoming a byword for expressionist horror. Werner Herzog remade the film in 1979 with Klaus Kinski , while a fictionalised account of the film’s making was made as Shadow of the Vampire in 2000. The name Max Shreck was used for Christopher Walken’s character in Batman Returns (1992), a movie highly influenced by German expressionist cinema. Every frame is an absorbing image, many of which have become iconic in their own right. Even if you haven’t seen the film, it’s a fair bet that you have seen something that has used its visuals for inspiration.
Check out the new trailer for Nosferatu:
