History Film / Nosferatu

* BaldOfEvil: Orlok.

* KillEmAll: Orlok kills everyone on the ship.

* LeanAndMean: Orlok is skeletally thin.

''Nosferatu'' (rarely used full title: ''Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens''[[note]]English: ''Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror''[[/note]]) is a German silent horror film and the first known [[VampireFiction vampire movie]], released in 1922. Director Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau cast [[http://eric.b.olsen.tripod.com/schreck.html Max Schreck]] as Count Orlok, with the veteran character actor [[LooksLikeOrlok wearing a costume that left him bald, with huge pointed ears and long sharp fangs]]... In short, one of the most frightening characters in film history. This movie is also notable for influencing the cinematic depiction of the idea that [[WeakenedByTheLight vampires can be killed by sunlight]].

It didn't work. The film company that produced ''Nosferatu'' was forced to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying royalties to Bram Stoker's estate for copyright infringement. All copies of this film were supposed to [[DisproportionateRetribution be destroyed]] because of the infringement, but a KeepCirculatingTheTapes mentality among fans of the film kept it from being [[MissingEpisode lost.]] ([[DigitalPiracyIsEvil Pre-digital movie piracy?]] It's OlderThanYouThink.) We, too, can see the greatness of Murnau's vision.

----

* DownerEnding: In the Herzog remake [[spoiler:Lucy is dead, Van Helsing is arrested for killing Dracula and Harker is now a vampire who will presumably continue to spread death and disease. Lucy's sacrifice ultimately meant nothing]].

Contrary to myth, this was ''not'' Max Schreck's only role; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage productions, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

!!This film contains the tropes:

* AnimalMotifs: Orlok has a very subtle yet obvious in hindsight connection with rats and, through them, the plague. His fangs are rat-like incisors rather than the elongated canines usually used for vampires, his pointed nose and thin face gives him a rodent quality to his facial features, and even his taloned hands call to minds the grasping paws of a giant rat.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: As while Ellen's plan to destroy Orlok via causing him to attack her in her bed works, due to his feeding on her he forgets about the rooster's crow as the sun raises while she ultimately dies]].

* CaptainOblivious: It takes Hutter entirely too long to figure out that the ghoulish figure with sharp talons and giant fangs who wants to suck the blood out of his finger might not be exactly the safest guy to be around.

* DemotedToExtra: The film's equivalents of Van Helsing, Holmwood, and Seward only appear in scenes that do not relate to the overall plot, and they never learn that Orlok is a vampire. But they're better off than Quincy and Lucy, who [[AdaptedOut don't have counterparts at all.]] Annie is often viewed as Lucy's counterpar though. One English copy of the film even calls her as such.
** It is also worth mentioning that Annie, just as Lucy, is implied to be visited by Orlok, and in a deleted scene she would be lured by vampire to the seaside and bitten. In the novel Dracula lures Lucy to a small seaside cemetery and bites her for the first time.

* GhostShip: The one Orlok takes to Germany becomes one of these when it pulls into port. Because of Orlok.

* HeroicSacrifice: Ellen deliberately lets Orlok feed on her to distract him until [[WeakenedByTheLight sunrise]].

* OnlyThePureOfHeart

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: As noted above, this film originated the idea that vampires burn in sunlight. Also, Schreck's vampire is rather uniquely portrayed as [[LooksLikeOrlok a rat-like monster]] and the personification of pestilence, as well as having a considerable semblance to some kind of ghost. There are numerous scenes where Orlok seems to materialise or dematerialise at will, (such as when carrying his coffin into his new lair,) as well as the famous sequence where Orlok seems to sneak into Hutter's home as a disembodied shadow.

* RavenHairIvorySkin: Lucy (Creator/IsabelleAdjani) in the Herzog remake.

* TorturedMonster: Dracula, in the Herzog remake. His voice carries a perpetually depressed tone, and he just generally doesn't seem to enjoy his cursed existence.

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: A major theme of the Herzog/Kinski remake. It's not so much that he's outliving his loved ones, it's that no one could ''ever'' love a monster like him. And living forever, eternally unloved, is almost unbearable. It's possibly the most tragic interpretation of the Dracula story ever.

* CaptainErsatz: Count Orlok (Nosferatu), was an unauthorized adaptation of Creator/BramStoker's ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. Stoker's heirs sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film were to be destroyed. A small number of prints survived, and narrowly avoided being wiped out of existence.

* GeckoEnding: The film only adapts ''Dracula'' up to the point when the Count leaves Transylvania. Then, the film includes a subplot about the plague, and has Ellen distract Orlok so that he can be killed by sunlight, instead of the FinalBattle that happened in the book.

* HappilyMarried: Hutter and Ellen. Mind you, they are newlyweds.

* OnlyThePureOfHeart:

* PickedFlowersAreDead: Ellen, at the opening scene.

%%* GermanExpressionism

%%* RedRightHand: See LooksLikeOrlok.

%%* StarCrossedLovers

* SoundtrackDissonance: Some versions of the film feature a near-constant usage of a strange, cheerful little tune that sounds more like it would belong in an old Disney/MickeyMouse cartoon than a classic horror movie. It becomes increasingly hard to get into the mood of the film when this song is in nearly every other scene, even in perfectly innocuous ones, such as the simple act of walking up stairs.

It didn't work. The film company that produced ''Nosferatu'' was forced to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying Bram Stoker's estate for copyright infringement. All copies of this film were supposed to [[DisproportionateRetribution be destroyed]] because of the infringement, but a KeepCirculatingTheTapes mentality among fans of the film kept it from being [[MissingEpisode lost.]] ([[DigitalPiracyIsEvil Pre-digital movie piracy?]] It's OlderThanYouThink.) We, too, can see the greatness of Murnau's vision.

In 1979 Creator/WernerHerzog wrote and directed ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'' (German title: ''Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht''), a re-adaptation of ''Dracula'' heavily influenced by the Murnau film's iconic visuals and streamlined plot. Creator/KlausKinski played the title role (now back to the name "Dracula"), and it's generally considered to be almost as good as the original. Some would even call it better. Kinski would return for the 1988 sort-of-sequel ''Nosferatu in Venice''.

''Nosferatu'' (rarely used full title: ''Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens''[[note]]English: ''Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror''[[/note]]) is a German silent horror film and the first known [[VampireFiction vampire movie]], released in 1922. Director Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau cast [[http://eric.b.olsen.tripod.com/schreck.html Max Schreck]] as Count Orlok, with the veteran UsefulNotes/{{German|y}} character actor [[LooksLikeOrlok wearing a costume that left him bald, with huge pointed ears and long sharp fangs]]... In short, one of the most frightening characters in film history. This movie is also notable for influencing the cinematic depiction of the idea that [[WeakenedByTheLight vampires can be killed by sunlight]].

The myth that this was Max Schreck's only role is untrue; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage productions, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

The myth that this was Max Schreck's only role is untrue; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage roles, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

The myth that this was Schreck's only role is untrue; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage roles, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

The myth that Orlok was Schreck's only role is untrue; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage roles, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

The myth that ''Nosferatu'' was Schreck's only role is untrue; he appeared in over 20 films and a number of stage roles, all in Germany. The idea was perpetuated by the 2000 film ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire,'' which portrayed Schreck as an actual vampire.

[[quoteright:166:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nosferatu.jpg]]

Also notable under this title: Creator/WernerHerzog's 1979 ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'', a re-adaptation of ''Dracula'' heavily influenced by the Murnau film's iconic visuals and streamlined plot. Creator/KlausKinski played the title role (now back to the name "Dracula"), and it's generally considered to be almost as good as the original. Some would even call it better. Kinski would return for the 1988 sort-of-sequel ''Nosferatu in Venice''.

->''"Mortal terror reigned''
->''Sickness now, then horrible death''
->''Only Lucy knew the truth''

''Nosferatu'' (rarely used full title: ''Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens''[[note]]English: ''Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror''[[/note]]) is a German silent horror film and the first known [[VampireFiction vampire movie]], released in 1922. Director Creator/FriedrichWilhelmMurnau cast [[http://eric.b.olsen.tripod.com/schreck.html Max Schreck]] as Count Orlok, with the veteran [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} German]] character actor [[LooksLikeOrlok wearing a costume that left him bald, with huge pointed ears and long sharp fangs]]... In short, one of the most frightening characters in film history. This movie is also notable for influencing the cinematic depiction of the idea that [[WeakenedByTheLight vampires can be killed by sunlight]].

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The etymology of the word "nosferatu" is unclear. This movie isn't the first to use it (Stoker's novel referenced it first), but the usual origin (the [[UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} Romanian]] word for "vampire") is false. The two most probable etymologies are a corruption of the Romanian "Necuratu," meaning "unclean spirit," or [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Greek]] "Nosophoros," meaning "bringer of plague."

** The animated [[UsefulNotes/{{Switzerland}} Swiss]] parody "Nosferatu Tango" drives a stake into this trope: The innocent young woman took Brand ZZZZZ sleeping pills, which also lay Nosferatu to (eternal) sleep when the morning comes.

* WeatherSavesTheDay: Despite being a thinly veiled stealth-adaptation of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'', the film's Van Helsing equivalent, Bulwer, has a greatly diminished role. Count Orlok is instead anticlimactically killed by an unexpected sunrise rather than being slain by the Hutter and a Quincey Morris equivalent.