F.W. Murnau probably didn't know he'd wind up changing how vampires are perceived when he crafted Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. A century later, it's considered to be one of the best vampire films ever made, and that's only been solidified with Robert Eggers's chilling remake, which is currently gathering critical acclaim and reaping 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 original Dracula author Bram Stoker, filed a lawsuit against Murnau, claiming that he was committing copyright infringement with his take. Despite this, Nosferatu has 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 for Nosferatu's legacy, and how did that lead to Eggers' masterful reworking of the story?
Is ’Nosferatu’ a Direct Adaptation of ‘Dracula’?
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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 the Dracula story, including changing Count Dracula to Count Orlok (who is a terrifying figure thanks to Max 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.
Florence Stoker was unaware of the adaptation of her late husband’s work until she received a letter with the program of Nosferatu's big Berlin premiere, clearly specifying its source material. Pursuing merciless legal action and winning a grueling three-year battle, after discovering that Nosferatu’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 to Nosferatu, Florence offered the actor Hamilton Deane permission to produce a stage version in 1924. This eventually led to the 1931 film, and thanks to Lugosi's performance, which was equal parts seductive and terrifying, the film was a major success. But little did Florence know that Nosferatu, like its titular vampire, would be very hard to kill.
How Did ‘Nosferatu’ Survive Utter Destruction?
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There’s a reason that Nosferatu is 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 of surviving French and German prints allowed Nosferatu to rise again, but not in the way that you might think. Restoration is a painstaking job, meaning that no truly complete copy of Nosferatu exists; current versions consist of several copies that are spliced together. Despite her best efforts, Florence Stoker couldn’t put Nosferatu down.
Produced on a reported budget of $50 million, 'Nosferatu' is among the highest-grossing horror movies of 2024.
Nosferatu fully cemented its place in horror history when it became part of the public domainin 2019. This led to Count Orlok's story inspiring other films, including Shadow of the Vampire, which presents a fictionalized behind-the-scenes account of Nosferatu's production. Shadow of the Vampire takes a unique approach to its history, having Schreck actually be a vampire -layering a metafictional twist onto the narrative, and earning Willem Dafoe an 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 original Dracula novel, its take on Dracula visually resembles Count Orlok right down to the pale white skin, skeletal visage, and lurking in the shadows.
Other filmmakers have had their chance to put a mark on Count Orlok, including Werner Herzog in 1979, and recently, Robert Eggers. Herzog's take on the material actually accomplishes what Murnau was unable to do; it keeps the majority of Dracula'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, and Nosferatu the greatest German film."
Eggers puts his own unique spin on Nosferatu by 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 original Nosferatu hinted that Orlok's presence causes calamity, Eggers fully leans into it and makes him a truly frightening figure. Eggers also expands upon Nosferatu'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, especially Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Harding.
Nosferatu hasn'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 of Stephen King's vampire novel Salem's Lot. Both the 1975 Salem's Lot television 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. Producer Michael Clear was upfront about Nosferatu's influence on the Salem's Lot movie, telling SFX 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 see Nosferatu destroyed, 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 film ignited 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 Horror is available to stream on Kanopy.
Image via Film Arts Guild
Image via Film Arts Guild
Image via Film Arts Guild
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