Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) (Nosferatu the Vampire) (1922)

The truly original vampire film, "Nosferatu" is a black and white direct copied adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". At its release it had the exact same characters and plot as the original book but had changed the names of all involved. The story is the same: a clod goes off to a mountainous small town and finds the townspeople frightened out of their wits by the vampyr aloft in the castle in the hills. The real estate agent and his sickly palored wife are victims of Count Orlok, portrayed by Max Schreck. The fame that still surrounds this film has nothing to do with its stark German Expressionist surroundings and tone or the fact that Bram Stoker's widow sued over copyright infringement. Much more prevalent to its lasting iconoclastic remembrances, is that fright inducing face. Max Shreck was already quite a sight with his pointed ears and long face, and with the use of face makeup he was transformed into a hideously fanged creature, without the charm and sophistication of the many descendants of Bram Stoker's tale. Much more of a creature feature than later adaptations, Count Orlok comes off less than human. The real estate agent who comes to call on what he believes is a rich man in a small town meets a chalky white monster who preys on his wife in her dreams. The shadow of the vampire coming up the stairs, the slow way the villain is revealed, face forward, stark against a background of black, spider webs covering every square inch of the darkly lit manor, was spine chilling. Much like Bela Lugosi in the much more popular and long staying "Dracula", Max Schreck's performance transcends the film itself. It is his amazing presence in the film that makes it so creepy and yet irresistibly sadistic. Seriously one of the creepiest films of all time, and making it silent made it all the better. The music was sometimes off-putting, and the flow of events was stilted, but it was definitely one of the best vampire films of all time. It not only catches the charisma of a supernatural force but also the deep seeded terror invoked in all of their victims. A much watch for horror fans or those who want to see a good German Expressionist film.