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.
