Count Orlok barely has to move to make Nosferatu unsettling. F.W. Murnau understands that sometimes the most frightening thing a camera can show you is a figure simply standing in the wrong place, and the film builds much of its horror around that idea. Orlok's shadow stretching up the staircase remains one of the great images of silent cinema, while Max Schreck's rigid posture, elongated hands, and rat-like features make him feel less like a man playing a vampire than something that has wandered into the human world by mistake. Murnau's stark compositions and use of natural locations give the film a strange physicality that makes its nightmare feel surprisingly tangible.
As usual with films from this era, the age of the production does become difficult to overlook. Its slow pacing and reliance on intertitles can make the story feel distant, while the limitations of silent-era filmmaking occasionally prevent some of its ideas from having the impact they might have today. Even so, Nosferatu was one of cinema's earliest major attempts to bring a vampire story to the screen, and its influence can be felt in horror nearly everywhere you look. Murnau's imagery remains extraordinary, and Schreck's Orlok has become one of the medium's defining monsters. It may not be the easiest silent film to connect with today, but Nosferatu is a very good film that deserves the enormous place it occupies in cinema history.
truly masterpiece,horrific,scary ,with lights darkness,that was really great cinema
As for the movie that was released in 1922, it is very excellent
Where the current vampires were quoted from him
With their elegant image
i was about to give this five but they made my man nosferatu go around with his coffin on his arms.
A great horror silent film! Some shots of Nosferatu were legendary.
This movie must've been amazing in 1922. Today's standards feature far scarier and more effective ways to build tension, however. By sheer pedigree, this movie deserves at least a 3. I prefer the atmosphere and cinematography of 1932's Vampyr more; I would rank Caligari higher than this; and more has been done since that ranks higher in the ratings.
The film Nosferatu is perfect and wonderful, with a very well thought out story and the drama in the right tone, I recommend it to anyone.
This is it. This is the movie that finally helped me "get" the appeal of silent films. Max Schreck's chilling performance as Count Orlock still holds up. The damaged nature of the film real only serves to add to the frightening atmosphere.
This is from the era before Hollywood and the Haze Code took over, ladies and gentlemen. The era when films were still being made mostly by individual artists with nothing but a vision and passion for the craft.
Will it shock and scare you like it intended for its original audience? Probably not. But its absolutely worth a watch nonetheless.
Watching it as a piece of history, and through an educational lens as cinema, will be more rewarding than seeking straight-up entertainment. So I've split the difference with 3.5 Stars and entrust the viewer to determine on what level they would like to engage.
I am not a fan of silent movies in general but this one is worth the experience. The soundtrack contributes greatly to the building sense of dread as Murnau takes us on a nightmarish journey of death.
The performances are hokey, the production is cheap and history has not been kind to the story in that you basically already know what it has to offer. That said, the Count still manages to cut a fairly horrific figure.
Reviews
Nosferatu
Garrett Wilkins reviewed
Nosferatu
August 29, 2026Count Orlok barely has to move to make Nosferatu unsettling. F.W. Murnau understands that sometimes the most frightening thing a camera can show you is a figure simply standing in the wrong place, and the film builds much of its horror around that idea. Orlok's shadow stretching up the staircase remains one of the great images of silent cinema, while Max Schreck's rigid posture, elongated hands, and rat-like features make him feel less like a man playing a vampire than something that has wandered into the human world by mistake. Murnau's stark compositions and use of natural locations give the film a strange physicality that makes its nightmare feel surprisingly tangible.
As usual with films from this era, the age of the production does become difficult to overlook. Its slow pacing and reliance on intertitles can make the story feel distant, while the limitations of silent-era filmmaking occasionally prevent some of its ideas from having the impact they might have today. Even so, Nosferatu was one of cinema's earliest major attempts to bring a vampire story to the screen, and its influence can be felt in horror nearly everywhere you look. Murnau's imagery remains extraordinary, and Schreck's Orlok has become one of the medium's defining monsters. It may not be the easiest silent film to connect with today, but Nosferatu is a very good film that deserves the enormous place it occupies in cinema history.
cloudsrival reviewed
Nosferatu
October 15, 2025This movie must've been amazing in 1922. Today's standards feature far scarier and more effective ways to build tension, however. By sheer pedigree, this movie deserves at least a 3. I prefer the atmosphere and cinematography of 1932's Vampyr more; I would rank Caligari higher than this; and more has been done since that ranks higher in the ratings.
theLillyPad reviewed
Nosferatu
February 17, 2025This is it. This is the movie that finally helped me "get" the appeal of silent films. Max Schreck's chilling performance as Count Orlock still holds up. The damaged nature of the film real only serves to add to the frightening atmosphere.
This is from the era before Hollywood and the Haze Code took over, ladies and gentlemen. The era when films were still being made mostly by individual artists with nothing but a vision and passion for the craft.
Will it shock and scare you like it intended for its original audience? Probably not. But its absolutely worth a watch nonetheless.
Rowan Krzysiak reviewed
Nosferatu
January 16, 2025The performances are hokey, the production is cheap and history has not been kind to the story in that you basically already know what it has to offer. That said, the Count still manages to cut a fairly horrific figure.
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