Compared to some stories that get revived or remade every decade or so, three versions of Nosferatu over the span of literally 100-plus years isn’t that many. But, of course, there’s been an asterisk affixed to Nosferatu ever since the original German silent film was released in 1922: This movie (full title: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror) is actually an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula, which was just 25 years old at the time. Though names and details of the story were changed, the original German intertitles acknowledged the inspiration of Dracula, which was enough ammunition for Stoker’s heirs to sue, leading to a court order that all copies of the film by destroyed. Luckily, some copies survived, and the film’s reputation gradually grew. At the same time, Dracula adaptations proliferated, and, when the book/character fully entered the public domain in 1962 (after a copyright error made it fair game in the United States much earlier), there were even more. This means that Nosferatu was eventually just one of many unauthorized versions of Dracula – and, ironically, this legally dicey German ripoff is more faithful to Stoker’s book that many of the adaptations that followed. At the same time, Nosferatu became well-known enough on its own to inspire multiple remakes, as well as a bit of fan-fiction. With all of these Nosferatus running around, including the latest remake hitting theaters on Christmas, which versions are most worth your time? Let’s run through them chronologically and see.
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Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)
Not only are there now multiple high-profile versions of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the film itself has been widely bootlegged and rereleased with various new or tinkered-with elements, often attempting to recreate it as it originally looked or felt a century ago. A mid-2000s restoration currently seems like the definitive version, and the many differences are fascinatingly cataloged here. Perhaps most interesting, Nosferatu isn’t really a black-and-white movie; it uses tinting to produce monochromatic but visually striking frames, giving it even more of an otherworldly vibe. That’s what’s so striking about the movie even this many years later: Count Orlok, the Dracula stand-in played by actor Max Schreck (yes, Tim Burton nicked the name for his Batman Returns villain), is a true creature of the night, rather than the human-passing smoothie that Dracula often becomes for long stretches. Murnau creates one expressionistic, indelible image after another, bringing gothic horror to life on the big screen.
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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
None other than Werner Herzog took a crack at remaking the German classic, with his long-time frenemy Klaus Kinski in the Orlok role. Herzog’s full-color version isn’t as directly atmospheric as the Murnau film, but its verdant matter-of-factness gives it a whole other manner of quiet power. The decay and horror of the natural world lingers through this telling, which very much adheres to the earlier film’s ability to make vampires seem at once pitiful, horrifying, evil, and real, while finding different tones and textures to accomplish those goals. This is probably the slowest-paced version, but it has a hypnotic quality that makes it unnerving even when the imagery isn’t as outwardly frightening as its predecessor or successor. It’s also a weirdly fitting companion piece to Herzog’s unconventional, fascinating nature-related documentaries. It can’t replace the original, but if you enjoy variations on a theme, Herzog’s version is an impressive one.
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Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Hyped enough at the time to score Willem Dafoe a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination but largely forgotten now, this droll horror-comedy takes a heavily fictionalized look at the making of Nosferatu, positing that Max Schreck (Dafoe) was able to give such a vivid and frightening performance because he was, in fact, an actual vampire that director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) was able to (kind of) harness and (barely) control as cameras rolled. It’s a fun joke that isn’t necessarily material enough for a full, satisfying feature film, despite the fun of watching Malkovich and Dafoe ham it up.
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Nosferatu (2024)
Robert Eggers previously made The Witch and The Lighthouse, so in some ways, it’s a comedown to see him involved in “IP,” no matter how steeped in classic cinema. On the other hand, it’s hard to picture another filmmaker showing such dedication to the craft of recreating Nosferatu for the 21st century without performing cheap “modernizing” updates. Here, Eggers mainly expands the story, teasing out further elements of sexuality and desire and beefing up the role of the vampire’s ultimate target Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp, giving an impressively physical performance), while using the heightened atmosphere as an excuse to go nuts with camera tricks, special effects, and elaborate production design. Basically, this is him doing a Bram Stoker’s Dracula on an alternate version of the Dracula story. Plus, Dafoe is back in the Nosferatu world, this time playing the story’s Van Helsing figure, and – as he did in The Lighthouse – injecting some delightful, oddball levity into the proceedings. Does this story have more contemporary relevance in a 2024 version? Well, the idea of the vampire as a bringer of plagues certainly resonates post-COVID (though the Herzog movie gets at that, too; both remakes have a scene with an impressive number of live rats, though the 1979 probably wins on sheer volume). But Eggers obviously has his eye on a certain era-transcending timelessness. It can make the movie feel like an elaborate exercise at times, but even if so: What an exercise it is!
THE VERSION CONTROL VERDICT: All Nosferatus are good!
Truly, it’s difficult to go wrong here unless you inexplicably watch Shadow of the Vampire first and then none of the other ones for decades (which, shamefully, is exactly what I did, albeit not really on purpose). If you’re only good for a single iconic Dracula ripoff, then by all means, the 90-minute original silent Nosferatu is the way to go; it’s a masterpiece, and it’s free to watch at home. What could be better? But this is one of those situations where watching three successive interpretations is both informative and entertaining.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.
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