First time I saw Nosferatu was on our local PBS station, Boston's Channel 2. It was on late - 10:30 pm - and my parents let me stay up to watch (which tells you how old I was at the time). I'd seen images of Nosferatu in a book about horror movies I owned, but never the film itself. This being the pre-VHS and DVD era, a local channel showing it was a rare and mustn't miss event. ...and whatever begging or bargaining I did to stay up past bedtime was worth the effort. Apart from comedies I hadn't seen many silent movies and came to Nosferatu thinking it wouldn't be very scary. Turns out, it was - but in a way I hadn't expected. Those haunting images of the Count winding his way around the deserted ship, making his way to Harker's room (or Hutter, I don't remember which version I'd seen) and his silhouette climbing the staircase were as impactful as anything taking me by surprise. Difference was, brief scares are easy to get over but images - they stay with you. Nosferatu stayed with me. When I was dating the woman who would eventually become my wife, I took her to see it at our local revival house, where the film was accompanied by live musicians. The place was packed, the drinks flowed (lots of red wine, of course) and Nosferatu worked its ancient dark magic. Again.
MAX SCHRECK died all the way back in 1936 at age 56 . . . but I wish he could be resurrected for a short while just to see what kind of a reaction he'd have in 2022 and if he'd be shocked at how Nosferatu has survived and thrived over the decades since its release. (Let me add that I like NOSFERATU as well. Seen it thrice).
I watched all five Underworld movies again over the last two days. Really cheesy fun but I love them. Next up is zombies with a Resident Evil marathon.
