Perhaps The Metamorphosis and The Nose left too strong of an impression on me. When I first heard of the name “Nosferatu,” I imagined another novel with bizarre plot and quirks to it. I’m quite relieved that it turned out to be a familiar vampire story, but I wouldn’t have minded another strange story, where a man without a nose turns into a gigantic cockroach.
Though Nosferatu should induce fear and terror from its audience since it is a horror film, I found the film to be creepier than expected. Even the scenes where Jonathan and Nina show affections towards each other are very disturbing to me. (02:55~03:23) When the door creaks open and Jonathan slowly comes into the room, his facial expression was slightly terrifying, like that of the Joker. Indeed, the exaggerated and awkward actions remind me of marionettes that are controlled by outside force.
Also because the movie was produced about a century ago, there were many vintage aspects to it, such as the white spots on the screen and the crackles. The talkies were not present in the industry until 1927, so the role of music in the film is very significant. It is used freely to express different emotions and help define several “archetypes” present in the movie. Upbeat music in the beginning shows a happy couple, whereas gloomy and melancholy music represents the appearance of Nosferatu and recurring deaths.
The fact that Nosferatu can be perceived as the movie about a vampire reminds me of The Sixth Sense, as this film caused a big sensation when it was first released in 1999. Both films probably came across as innovative back in the days. Now, there are just too many movies that I believe to have surpassed those two, which is why Nosferatu did not frighten me.
Works cited:
The Sixth Sense movie poster, poster, 1999. Moviegoods. Web. 29 Oct 2013.
String Puppet, illustration, 2009. Advanced Conversations. Web. 29 Oct 2013.
The Nosferatu still cut, movie. 1922. Splatter Shack. Web. 29 Oct 2013.
Great Points! I personally did not find the movie to be scary in any way but I can see why certain parts of it are creepy. What gets me is Count Orlok’s face. He seems to encompass the true nature of a vampire to me. A vampire needs to be an undead blood sucker, not a male model.
You brought up a great point about the people looking like marionettes. Due to the lack of good quality cameras, the animations were choppy and have the impression that they dangled when moving around, like puppets do.
How was the Sixth Sense innovative? I never saw the movie so I would not know.
Your point about The Sixth Sense setting a precedent in the horror film industry, like Nosferatu did eight decades before, was well-made. I hadn’t thought about it that way. My post is largely about how modern day scary movies are not innovative and follow past trends instead of setting new ones.
I referenced movies like “Prom Night,” “When a Stranger Calls,” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre:” non of which can be called creative because they are all remakes of past horror films.
But I remember seeing The Sixth Sense for the first time and really enjoying it. It was not the cliche, obvious scary movie: I for one was totally surprised by the ending. Your post reminded me that, while most of the ground-breaking plot lines for horror films have already been established, modern movies still have something to contribute.
I agree with you the initial scenes in the film with Jonathan Harker were a little creepy for me. His weird smile and laughter did remind me of the Joker!
I also think you make a very interesting point that the facial expressions and actions of the actors seemed forced as if they were puppets controlled by something else. I never saw actors in silent films in this light but it makes sense since the actors have to exaggerate a little bit to get their point across without dialogue.
By the way, I chuckled to myself when you mused about how you “wouldn’t have minded another strange story, where a man without a nose turns into a gigantic cockroach.” Nice joke!
I definitely agree with you that some scenes were creepier than I had expected. Although the exaggerated movements and facial expressions throughout the film were intended to help the audience better understand the plot, they made me feel a bit uncomfortable and slightly disturbed. Nevertheless, I believe that these exaggerated actions played a crucial role to our perception of the film. I also like your observation about the music selection. Since there was no dialogue between the characters, the music helped set the tone and atmosphere of the scenes.