Nosferatu (1922) Is Not Scary

Troler
June 09, 2025

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CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

The classic of horror cinema Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is termed as a stepping stone in creation of the modern thrillers. Such a statement supposes a connection, yet it does not underline its strength. When a century of development is present, especially in area changing as fast as cinema, a discrepancy in what to expect arises. Usually horror film entails a viewing experience where the viewer is subject to horrifying viewing matter. Yet that won't be found in Nosferatu. At most the viewer is going to feel suspense in a scene here and there. A viewing more in line what would expected from Francis Ford Coppola.

The film was released in 1922, Germany. A Germany still in a deep crisis after a solemn defeat in World War I, plunged into an economic and social frenzy. What is more, the director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau served as a pilot in the war. The traumatic experience, facing with death multiple times and coming to contact with non-human war, left a lasting impact on him. 4 years separating the end of the war and release of the film, were not enough to come in terms with the trauma. For that fact the influence on the film can be in part given to World War I.

Classical horror sits in stark contrast to modern commercial horror. In more general forms of horror, no matter be they film, games or books. Interestingly Nosferatu did have an impact on American directors, such as William Fox, the 20th century Fox founder. Murnau worked at Fox for a few years, making a lasting impact on the modern American cinema, horror included. When it comes to the contemporary outlook on horror, it largely stems from acclimatization of the medium, it spreading to the mainstream. As such morphing to its tastes. Though that does not suppose it being low quality or void of artistic value. Michael Bay produces very much mainstream movies, but yet they are not devoid of technical expertise. The entire point of this review being to draw a clear line between what is considered classical horror and modern thriller. How there are no jumpscares, no slashing and no gore fiestas. And this distinction can be seen from the first line of the movie

"Why did you kill them... the lovely flowers...?" that is the first thing spoken by protagonist's wife Ellen Hutter, played by Greta Schröder. The two broken, discrepant sentences serve as the baseline idea for the entire movie. Each major plot point fills in the answer to the question.

Why kill flowers? Because they can be sold. The merchant Knock, played by John Gottowt, sees it fitting to sell a run down house to Graf Orlok (Max Schreck). Even though there are signs warding against going to the Graf, such as the letter being written in Enochian, a language said to be spoken by Biblical angels, locals warding off Land of the Phantoms, where Orlok presides. These serve as tell-tale signs of the dangers that await. The entire journey to the castle is led by increasingly decimated scenery. Although the budget of which was low, the ladscapes are stunning. The closer protagonist Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) gets to the castle, the less human life there is. Fields with running wild horses are quickly replaced with a barren landscape. When at the location, a looming tower and the chilling darkness haunt in the woods. The atmosphere serves to drive suspense. Due to it not being mordern horror, no frenzied scene is going to be seen. Instead it warms up the viewer to a suspenseful drama. There is a clear relation and connection between the atmosphere and Graf Orlok. Greed has carried Thomas Hutter to the castle, to Nosferatu. As the result, the man who sent him there — Knock – loses his mind. Any bargain from the devil is a Faustian deal. Thus Knock, amidst his insanity, sees Graf Orlok as his superior.

Why kill flowers? Because they are pretty. The first scene showing Ellen Hutter is her playing with a kitten. Cats are infused with blood. At a young age they are teeming with energy and life. The sour look on their face yet to be formed. Although they are fragile. With fragility comes owner's responsibility to care of them. Cuteness overload is a phenomena when a person is struck by a sight of a fragile and youthful animal or person and are incapable of moving their gaze from it. An immense feeling of care for that being is felt. This feeling is not exhibited by all people. Those who are lacking of empathy or have other forms of mental deformities, causing anti-social behavior, do not sense it. As such they do not feel any affliction of hurting those who are deemed to be cute. As cuteness usually connotates weakness or lack of ability to fend for itself. Such a relationship, of a guardian and a fragile person could be described for Thomas and Ellen Hutters respectively. When Nosferatu catches the view of Ellen, his attention is paid her "beautiful neck". For a demonic force, beauty does not exist. In contrary, only material benefit from said beauty does. A neck is where blood can be most easily received from, food for Orlok resides. When Thomas is visited by Nosferatu at midnight, the beautiful Ellen is taken up by an illness. When a human being is seen as merely an object to be used, the poetic beauty he or she holds is lost. When a person lets in evil, the "Bird of Death", into his heart then autonomy is lost. The beauty of things reside in their harmonious nature. A beautiful relationship is one where both partners act in harmonious matter, do not oppose each other. That is not the case with the presence of Nosferatu.

Why kill flowers? Because they are medicine. Nosferatu is carried in a coffin to Wisburg, to preside besides potential victims. Althought the coffin has no Graf inside, just rats. Rats since Black Death are seen as a symbol of imminent death. Death followed the ship-crew. They were murdered one by one by Nosferatu. Brilliantly he was not shown. Which only drove the suspense to a higher degree. Once a only captained remained, the angle shot a very low point of Nosferatu, indicated the impending doom that is Nosferutu. The sceen with Elen sitting at a beach doted with crosses, reminded of men who fell just beyond the shore. Those crosses foreshadow events to be transpired. The dead crewmen, rats and unexplained illness are all blamed upon Knock, the person who sold Nosferatu a house. Usually in cases of wide disorientation a strange, queer and misunderstood person or group are usually blamed to an absurd degree. Knock came to be a scapegoat. The Knock chese scene provided light entertainment, while not detaching from the aesthetic and tone. It very much reminded of a chase scene from James Whale's Frankenstein) The cure against all the illness, stemming from Nosferatu has to be in contrary to its own nature. Two opposing natures cannot exist in a constant flux. Sooner or later one or both must die out. That is the job of the beautiful flower – Ellen. This is where the movie goes full on fairy tale. Ellen must give herself to the evil so by sound of the rooster it would die. Very much like in the original Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the scene was an allegory to losing virginity and coming in contact with syphilis.

With its creative use of shadows and isometric shapes, it truly provides an experience distinct from modern horror. The horror is of Lovecraftian nature, of encountering a being disturbing our rational understanding of the world. In this case the evil being a type of Belial, wilting everything that came near it. Nosferatu, although claimed to be a standard of what horror is, it is not horror in contemporary sense. It is gothic, it is lovecraftian, it is mystical, but definitely not horror. Answering Ellen's initial question ("Why did you kill them... the lovely flowers...?"), we kill because we envy their life. And where is envy there is destruction.

Fin.