Although this is an obvious one, watching Nosferatu reminded me a lot of the movie Frankenstein. I read the book by Mary Shelley as well, but watching the movie really brought it to life and even the scenes are similar to each other. Both had a horror theme and scary tone, although I’d consider Nosferatu to be more frightening, at least for me. This didn’t actually scare me however, probably because I’m used to modern horror films that have a numerous amount of effects, enhancing the fear of the audience. Another movie this reminded me of is The Artist. Although this silent film was done recently, it still had that same 1920s effect that Nosferatu did. Obviously both are very different and even the genre of both films don’t overlap, but I still found myself remembering it, probably because it’s one of the few silent films I’ve ever seen.
In a more modern sense, I imagined the vampire movies we have today. I kept making comparisons between the film and movies and shows like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. I’ve always wondered where the sudden vampire craze came from, but I realized it’s not recent at all. There’s always been this curiosity to the vampire fantasy and I thought it was interesting how the concept can range from a movie like Nosferatu to something that stretches the drama series we know as Vampire Diaries. I’ve never watched it but I wonder what exactly attracts people to it and whether it’s the idea of vampires or the romantic drama that seems to come up in every episode.
Even though the film was in black and white, I had a strong visual of the color red in my mind. Blood was repeatedly mentioned so I kept picturing that vivid redness associated with blood. That’s pretty much the only color that stood out in my mind. In addition to the blood, Count Orlock’s castle reminded me of the stereotypical haunted house. I imagined the stairs creaking and wind blowing and maybe even creepy whispers floating the halls. So that’s pretty much what I kept imagining during the film.
I share a similar opinion regarding how the vampire genre has transformed over the years. There definitely is a curiosity that people have with fictional creatures like vampires, and I think that the vampire has evolved along with society. Over the years, we have gone from spooky ghouls like Nosferatu to animalistic creatures in Underworld to the teenaged romantics in Twilight. I, like some people, may not agree with the transformation of vampires from figures of horror to a girl’s fantasy, but I do applaud the media for keeping vampires relevant for so long. I also like what you said about how Nosferatu would have been like if it was not a silent film. I can imagine that it would be even creepier and full of suspense.
I agree with you 100%. Like you, I wrote about how old scary movies don’t scare me, because we’re so used to effects and graphics today. I also spoke about Twilight and Vampire Diaries. You’re right, it seemed like around 2008 EVERYONE became obsessed with Twilight and vampires. You weren’t cool if you hadn’t seen Twilight! Then vampires exploded, from Vampire Diaries & True Blood to other books about vampires. However, this whole idea has definitely been around longer than we thought, and Nosferatu is a prime example. You made a good point about The Artist. That movie is cool because most movies today are flashy and full of unnecessary effects – like the movies that are made in 3D today that just don’t need to be seen in 3D. The Artist went back to the basics, and I think that’s what made it so special.