I agree that an audience can only feel suspense when they allow themselves to be fully immersed in the different musical and visual elements of a scene. For most of Nosferatu, I was bored with the slow pace of the plot and found myself distractingly concerned with how F.W. Murnau pieced together the film and created the few special effects. Although I recognize that the acting was deliberately exaggerated to emphasize the archetypes for the audience and that the scenes were purposefully drawn out, I wasn’t as impressed as viewers in 1922 must have been. I think most viewers today will feel a sense of impatience toward the drawn out scenes because we aren’t as amazed by movies as a new invention.

When the pace of the movie felt more akin to that of contemporary horror films , I felt greater tension and suspense. However, I only felt fear for the characters in one moment of the movie -when Hutter hid from Nosferatu on his second night in Carpathian. This was heighten by Murnau’s effective use of shadows. The way he employed that technique reminded me of the many movies I’ve watched that have relied on mysterious, dark corners and shadowy figures. To engross the viewer, Murnau also engages the use of the familiar and unfamiliar. Nosferatu is a compelling figure in the film because his manner of actions and general appearance is disturbingly strange. His bulbous head, disproportionate body, clawed hands, the list goes on and on. Each unfamiliarity pushes us further away from connecting to Nosferatu’s true identity. When viewers only consider the one-sided, biased perspective of the narrator, there is an entirely unexplored  narrative in the perspective of Nosferatu. How did he become a vampire? Are his cravings for blood more than just a survival tactic?

Conversely, Hutter represents the classic archetype of a responsible, loving provider. The audience immediately connects to his goals and mindset. The way his trim coat sways becomingly must have caused a few blushes from audience members in 1922. Murnau not only produces a movie where emotions are exaggerated, but where textures, movement, and hardness is exaggerated. For instance, eyebrows are excessively bushy, Renfield’s movements are dramaticized, and the ocean’s waters constantly churn. Murnau takes advantage of amplification to convey what is lost by the lack of sound dialogue.

Works Cited

“Shadowy Figure.” Shadowy Figure. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://depositlyrics.com/s/shadowy figure>.

“Smiley.” By SupergreatChandu8. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://my.opera.com/supergreatChandu8/albums/slideshow/?album=5466862>.