Essays on nosferatu

In Nosferatu, it is the Mina character who invites the vampire into her lair after reading in the forbidden book that the sacrifice of a beautiful woman is one way to defeat the power of the vampire. The Mina character ultimately becomes the agency by which the vampire, his power and his symbolic meaning is defeated.

Nosferatu is considered one of the key works of the German expressionist movement, thanks to its innovative use of make-up, expert plays of light and shadow, and savvy use of location filming to set moods with nature and architecture.

As a silent film, Nosferatu developed a series of visual tropes that would become common in the horror genre. Consider the vampire's looming shadow, or the special effects employed to make him levitate or suddenly vanish into thin air. Likewise, we see much of the horror play out on claustrophobic set pieces.

Sound is totally inessential for making us feel trapped in the castle or on the ship with the vampire. In these respects and more (there are plenty if you look for them), Nosferatu demonstrates that what really makes a horror movie are the visual elements, and that you don't need any loud noises or audible screams to instill terror.