F.W. Murnauprobably didn’t know he’d wind up changing how vampires are perceived when he craftedNosferatu:ASymphony of Horror. A century later,it’s considered to be one ofthe best vampire filmsever made, and that’s only been solidified withRobert Eggers’s chilling remake, which is currentlygathering critical acclaimandreaping box office rewards. But Eggers and other filmmakers very nearly never got the chance to put their own unique take on Count Orlok. Florence Stoker, the widow of originalDraculaauthor Bram Stoker,filed a lawsuit against Murnau,claiming that he was committing copyright infringement with his take. Despite this,Nosferatuhas managed to survive, and become an essential contribution contributing to the cinematic vampire mythos. But how did Florence Stoker’s lawsuit serve as the unlikely groundwork forNosferatu’s legacy, and how did that lead to Eggers' masterful reworking of the story?
Is ’Nosferatu’ a Direct Adaptation of ‘Dracula’?
1922 was a far different landscape for film, as theaters weren’t filled to the brim with adaptations of popular material; therefore, Murnau may not have been aware of the legal permissions required to profit off of this adaptation to the big screen. To his credit,Nosferatu’s original German intertitles credit Bram Stoker’s Dracula as the original source material.Murnau’s film makes multiple changes to theDraculastory, including changing Count Dracula to Count Orlok (who is a terrifying figure thanks toMax Schreck’s towering stature and makeup) while also updating certain plot points, such as Orlok’s arrival in Germany alongside a flurry of plague-spreading rats.
The biggest change involvesOrlok beingthe first vampire to be vanquished by the sun. In the original novel, Dracula was merely weakened by the sun, but to Orlok, it was fatal - and it’s an affliction that’sdone in countless vampires. Most of Murnau’s changes were a product of the times, especially therise of the bubonic plague, but ironically mostDraculaadaptations have taken their own libertieswith the original source material, especially the 1931 version starringBela Lugosi.
Why Was ‘Nosferatu’ Ordered to Be Destroyed?
Florence Stoker was unaware of the adaptation of her late husband’s workuntil she received a letter with the program ofNosferatu’s big Berlin premiere, clearly specifying its source material. Pursuing merciless legal action and winning a grueling three-year battle, after discovering thatNosferatu’s production company Prana Film was bankrupt and unable to compensate her,it was allegedly at her insistence that the negatives were handed over, and all copies were subsequently destroyed. Though she delivered a devastating legal blow toNosferatu, Florenceoffered the actorHamilton Deanepermission to produce a stage versionin 1924. This eventually led to the 1931 film, and thanks to Lugosi’s performance, which wasequal parts seductive and terrifying, the film was a major success. But little did Florence know thatNosferatu, like its titular vampire, would be very hard to kill.
How Did ‘Nosferatu’ Survive Utter Destruction?
There’s a reason thatNosferatuis often called the first cult film. The legal decree to destroy all copies meant that actually getting to watch it was nearly impossible. Fortunately for Murnau and all the poor souls who worked on this game-changer,copies had already fled and made their way through several international circuits by the time the court order went through. Several reports ofsurviving French and German printsallowedNosferatuto rise again, but not in the way that you might think.Restoration is a painstaking job, meaning that no truly complete copy ofNosferatuexists; current versions consist ofseveral copies that are spliced together.Despite her best efforts, Florence Stoker couldn’t putNosferatudown.
‘Nosferatu’ Overtakes Nicolas Cage’s Unhinged Horror Hit at the Global Box Office
Produced on a reported budget of $50 million, ‘Nosferatu’ is among the highest-grossing horror movies of 2024.
Nosferatufully cemented its place in horror historywhen it becamepart of the public domainin 2019. This led to Count Orlok’s story inspiring other films, includingShadow of the Vampire, which presents a fictionalized behind-the-scenes account ofNosferatu’s production.Shadow of the Vampiretakes a unique approach to its history, having Schreck actuallybea vampire -layering a metafictional twist onto the narrative, and earningWillem Dafoean Oscar nomination for his performance as Max Schreck.The Last Voyage of the Demeterbrings things full circle: while the film’s a direct adaptation of events in the originalDraculanovel, its take on Dracula visually resembles Count Orlok right down to the pale white skin, skeletal visage, and lurking in the shadows.
‘Nosferatu’ Continues To Have a Foothold in Popular Culture
Other filmmakers have had their chance to put a mark on Count Orlok, includingWerner Herzogin 1979, and recently, Robert Eggers.Herzog’s take on the materialactually accomplishes what Murnau was unable to do;it keeps the majority ofDracula’s original story intact, including character names. There are a few minor changes: Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) is married to Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) instead of Mina, and Dracula (Orlok) is defeated by a combination of exposure to the sun and a stake to the heart. Herzog had nothing but respect for Murnau’s vision,saying in an interview: “Murnau, I consider to be the greatest German director, andNosferatuthe greatest German film.”
Eggers puts his own unique spin onNosferatuby fully leaning into the supernatural —Orlok’s presence corrupts the environment,leading to death, disease, and Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) falling under his thrall. While the originalNosferatuhinted that Orlok’s presence causes calamity, Eggers fully leans into it and makes hima truly frightening figure. Eggers also expands uponNosferatu’s human characters, giving them a level of depth that’s rare in the horror space; this only makes it all the more gut-wrenching when they encounter Nosferatu,especiallyAaron Taylor-Johnson’s Harding.
Nosferatuhasn’t just been the subject of remakes. Over the years,Count Orlok’s story has influenced other areas of pop culture, The most surprising influence can be felt in the small and big-screen adaptations ofStephen King’s vampire novelSalem’s Lot. Both the 1975Salem’s Lottelevision miniseries, and the 2024 film adaptation feature Kurt Barlow as an Orlok-esque figure: he’s never seen during the day, his vampirism spreads like a plague, and his appearance is utterly horrifying. ProducerMichael Clearwas upfront aboutNosferatu’s influence on theSalem’s Lotmovie, tellingSFX Magazine: “When something like that is in your nightmares you would be doing a disservice to the movie by not bringing to life the thing that was terrifying to you.”
Florence Stoker may have attempted to seeNosferatudestroyed,but her efforts only cemented it as the first true cult film— and provided the groundwork for a century of influence. Robert Eggers even said that Murnau’s original filmignited his desire to be a filmmaker: “Vampirism and Dracula is the thing that I’ve been thinking about and looking at for a long time.”
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horroris available to stream on Kanopy.
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