The Death Bird

    Ah, Nosferatu...a true Vampire classic. Based on Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, this German silent film depicts the first visual persona of the 'bloodsucking ghoul'. It also happens to be one of the most influential and masterful pieces to come out from the silent film era.

Nosferatu takes place mainly in Orava Castle and Wisbory, both located in the Carpathian mountains.

    Now, I know this is starting to sound like a film review, but bear with me here. I'm just trying to give some background before we sink into an analysis of the terrifying Nosferatu.

Nosferatu's name is difficult to determine but the etymology is generally synonymous to the Romanian term 'nefârtatu', meaning 'insufferable one' and 'devil'. The vampire himself, looks creepy in the tall and unsettlingly dark kind of way, which isn't at all surprising. His pale visage and wide staring eyes and those two pointy fangs of his make me feel a little uneasy whenever he makes an appearance. The strangely pointed ears do nothing to improve his image.

   Vampires have always been known to have some sort of magic power, whether it's mind control or some sort of elemental magic. Nosferatu, himself is no different, but what does make him interesting is where he gets his powers from. The film makes mention that the origin of Nosferatu's evil magic comes from “cursed soil from the field of 'The Black Death'”. This makes it pretty obvious that Nosferatu is the physical persona of death. But if you ever get curious check the film out for yourself. It's quite the movie for its time.