Villain(s)  Count Orlok (vampire)

Actor(s):  Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Alexander Granach

Brief Description  Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) is a masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema directed by F. W. Murnau. As an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, it fundamentally shaped the horror genre despite a high-profile copyright lawsuit that nearly saw every print destroyed. The film famously stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a grotesque, animalistic vampire who serves as a stark contrast to later, suave interpretations of the character.

Plot:
The Mission: Real estate agent Thomas Hutter is sent by his employer, Knock, to the Carpathian Mountains to sell a house to Count Orlok.

The Warning: Local peasants panic at the mention of Orlok, warning Hutter of the "Nosferatu" and providing him with a book on vampires.

The Encounter: At the castle, Orlok's behavior grows deeply unsettling; he becomes fixated on Hutter's blood after a minor finger-cutting accident.

The Obsession: Orlok notices a miniature portrait of Hutter’s wife, Ellen, and agrees to buy the property in Wisborg directly across from Hutter's home.

The Voyage: Leaving Hutter trapped, Orlok travels by sea aboard the Demeter, hidden inside a coffin filled with infected dirt.

The Plague: As the vampire arrives in Wisborg, hordes of disease-carrying rats flood the streets, causing a massive, deadly outbreak.

The Sacrifice: Ellen discovers that a pure-hearted woman can destroy the vampire by distracting him with her blood until sunrise.

The Dawn: Ellen lures Orlok into her room; he feeds on her until the rooster crows, trapping him in the sunlight where he vaporizes.

Visual Style and Cinematography:
Murnau rejected traditional studio sets, shooting mostly on location to blend harsh reality with surreal, nightmarish distortions. The film relies heavily on low-key lighting and elongated silhouettes, creating iconic horror imagery such as Orlok's shadow creeping up a staircase. Using stop-motion and negative film effects, Murnau made Orlok’s coach move at unnatural, phantom-like speeds to enhance the supernatural atmosphere.