I would love to see videos on: - Cure (1997) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa - The Host (2006) by Bong Joon-ho - The Fear Street trilogy (2021) by Leigh Janiak - Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) by Issa López
It's so incredible really that a film as old as Nosferatu that was at real risk of falling into obscurity with all copies of it having nearly disappeared forever is now freely available for digital posterity on UA-cam.
@@1000000man1 Sadly true, I've heard that the real problem with copyright is it's not even updated to catch up with how the Internet/social media works. It's why someone from overseas can easily steal someone's art/online business - because a lot of old laws were made with just their own country in mind at the time. :(
Funny; the same could be said of the original design for Erik/The Phantom of the Opera (a "living corpse,") yet look what happened to him over the years. 😆💀
I agree, I watched it for the first time this year and was surprised how genuinely offputting some the imagery was as I’m so used to silent era horror films coming across as cheesy/dated
There's a reason it holds up in the World of Darkness Nosferatu clan design as well. It is such an iconic and effective look that it inspired an entire subspecies of vampires for that setting.
I'd still say that Bram Stoker defined the modern vampire, but Nosferatu definitely built upon those ideas and gave us some new things, specifically vampires being weak to sunlight as you said, and the more monstrous depiction of vampires which would go on to inspire other pieces of media, including the Nosferatu clan from the World of Darkness universe. Also, I'm so excited to see the Nosferatu remake!
We watched Robert Eggers' *Nosferatu* on Christmas Day, and I found it to be a remarkably strong adaptation. It even carried echoes of Werner Herzog's take on the story, which I really appreciated. Excited to have this video to keep me company while I work-thank you!
I heard Eggers state that he consciously avoided watching the Herzog version while in development, and coincidentally, he used the same castle that Herzog used in a totally different way
what i find so cool about nosferatu is how he influenced the more animalistic depictions of vampires in appearance like fright night (00’s), 30 days of night and the criminally underrated blood red sky
"What was that third thing? The walls will ooze green slime! [Glances around panicked] Oh wait, they always do that." - Squidward (Graveyard Shift, Spongebob Squarepants)
Speaking of century-old horror movies, I'd love to see you review Dreyer's Vampyr from 1932. It's a really unique horror movie that mixes the vampire myth with surreal dreamlike sequences and gorgeous but eerie cinematography.
My mother played this for me as a kid to scare the crap out of me...and it still does so to this day. He's so terrifying looking. She lied to me and told me that's how he really looked, probably why it stuck with me. I'm so excited for Eggers' version
Something I've enjoyed about how much of an impact Nosferatu had on Vampire Lore was providing people with a means to show Vampires in different stages depending on how much blood they've taken in. a weakened Vampire takes on a form similar to Orlok while also regressing into a feral state while the "sex symbol" we know Vampires tend to have is them when they are at their most well nourished.
The original from 1921 is my favorite film of all time, I saw it when I was 11, and it made me a fan of cinema and horror. I could not be more happy with the remake because I believe Eggers is the best new voice in horror and an incredible auteur. The movie comes out next week here in Chile, it's safe to say it is a whole event for me. I'm so so excited.
Parts of the movie were actually filmed in my hometown which is called Wismar and called Wisburg in the film. There are some nice plates of glass with the character of Orlok on them at the locations that were used for some scenes. Still a great film! Thanks for the video.
Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu are two of my favorite movies, they’re just so extremely interesting done and as you said, technical masterpieces. The shot seen at 8:53 is still one of the creepiest things I’ve seen, especially when I was younger.
If you like the portrayal of Count Orlock as the prototypical vampire, I strongly recommend the humorous "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000) starting Willem Dafoe.
One of my favorite takes on Nosferatu. Dafoe is brilliant, Malkovich is inspired, and the film is fun and engaging throughout. Dafoe has said in interviews his performance was based on Shreck's physicality, and you can see it. Also, if I had a nickel for every time Willem Dafoe was in an adaptation of Nosferatu...
If our world was a fair one, we would now have a victorian Spongebob in Eggers' "Nosferatu" being revealed as the one who repeatedly blew out and relit candles in the movie.
My first born came out looking like a goblin vampire so I dressed him as Nosferatu for his first Halloween. This year he turned three and we watched this movie and the remake together. He loved them and was able to keep up on the story beats which was impressive.
This was the first horror film that genuinely terrified me. I couldn’t watch it for years because it gave me nightmares. Now its one of my favorite films of all time.
You know your timeless when they tried to kill you a century ago, became a film study 101, and SpongeBob talks about you today. I can’t wait to see the new one, and even if the OG doesn’t age well… it’s to important to ignore. That’s worth noting in and of itself.
9:49 Orlock being a walking disease is even made symbolic by the choice of the ship name, Demeter aka the Greek Goddess of the Harvest which Orlock, as a walking plague upon the land, leaves a smoldering wreck, devoid of life.
My first memory of Nosferatu weirdly enough was the video for Queen and Bowie's Under Pressure music video. I finally saw it in Highschool when I rented it from Blockbuster with a friend of mine. It's weird but it holds up in a lot of ways. Orlock is such an iconic design and EXTREMELY menacing
The 1974 version had a sort of more mean spirited ending. Ellen dies and Nosferatu is killed but her husband turns into a vampire anyway and has a man executed for staking Nosferatu. You're missing out if you don't want that version. It's beautiful
I'm so excited for Eggers's adaptation. Even when I don't like a film he makes, I still appreciate and respect his skills as a filmmaker. Hoping to see it next weekend with friends.
I saw the new adaptation on Wednesday & man it was so good. Glad you’re finally covering a staple of German cinema & horror in general; course my intro to Count Orlock was of course SpongeBob 😅
Really makes me all the more grateful that I was able to see Nosferatu on the big screen two months ago during October which realy does enhance the creepy tone of the movie. I can only imagine how the new remake takes those already eerie aspects into a scarier direction.
My husband is a musician, and there was a group that this past October did showings of Nosferatu with a small live orchestra playing the best available reconstruction of the original score for the movie, which would have been played by a live group when the movie came out.
Thank you for this! I’ve struggled to watch the original film and your review gave the film a richness I wasn’t able to appreciate while watching it myself!
I know that in the book, Dracula has the ability to transform into a wolf. I'd always assumed the werewolf (actually a hyena irl) was Orlok in wolf form
It's one of those movies that I'm glad I missed out on until I was old enough to appreciate it for what it is. I'm really excited for the new one, but we have this movie to thank for so much. You did great here. I would love to see more classic horror reviews.
I just saw the new Nosferatu with my friend who got me into horror. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and he's encouraging me to see the original. I'm excited for this video of yours.
Wathcing this while I am getting ready to head to the theater to see Nosferatu. I wanted to support to the visionary and history nerd, Robert Eggers, he is my favorite director. I saw the 1922 version a few years back, so thank you for the summary!!
Nothing beats the original Nosferatu but the recent version is second best. The only disturbing scene from the original is that he is carrying his coffin like selling a furniture house. 2hrs. Is worth it, a combination of horror and an art film.
Oh yes, I remember watching this at college bc I was a media student. And also Shadow Of The Vampire, great little film for Nosferatu fans. Very much looking forward to the Eggers one. I wouldn't say this was my favourite vampire movie, but I love how gothic and eerie it is. Also happy Xmas and have an epic 2025 Ryan!
You've really my year of horror exploration something special. Thanks for all the work you do, and all the great movies you've introduced me to. I hope you have a great new year!
I'm from the area where they shot the film, and some of the buildings are still around, which caused some confusion when I watched the film for the first time. Like the building Orlok purchases faces nothing in real life. It's next to a bridge, and there's only water in front of it 🤣
Nosferatu should be its own subclass of vampire to create unique strengths and weaknesses between the two like how one gets killed by sunlight while the other doesn't.
To further the disease metaphor, Nosferatu was made only two years after the official end of the Spanish flu pandemic, which was spread as a consequence of WWI. And at the time there was a lot of questions about it - and even to this day. There's debate over its origins: it seems to have gotten to Europe via Chinese labourers, who might have brought it from Mainland China or picked it up while transiting through Fort Funston, Kansas. There is also evidence of the flu already circulating among the Austro-Hungarian forces as early as 1916. Another interesting thing was that the largest demographic effected by the virus was young adults - the people fighting in WWI. Some modern research indicates that their parent's generation had some immunity due to a flu epidemic in the 1870s, while the WWI generation had no acquired flu resistance and were already weakened by the war. They were stressed, malnourished, injured, already sick, and many had been exposed to poison gas. All of that to say that I'm pretty sure everyone working on Nosferatu was deeply affected by the war and the flu pandemic.
While some aspects of the movie have aged poorly due to changes in the format over the last century, the visuals are some of the most iconic and haunting images in all of cinematic history. The shot of Orlock's face feeding on Ellen in the darkness of her room is gonna haunt me forever.
Earlier this year my girlfriend and I watched this film for the first time and we agreed it’s still an incredible viewing experience. A lot of the horror is still unsettling and scary, the cinematography is timeless, and even the moments that haven’t aged very well are just goofy to the point we burst out laughing
I recently rewatched it. It's a movie I admire more than enjoy. I really have to be in the mood to watch it, and go in understanding that it's such a different era of filmmaking.
Another amazing Video... I'm glad I didn't take first impressions because I legit thought this was about the remake & was like nope, will give this a miss until I watch the Movie (something almost unheard of, I'm firmly in the horror at one remove Camp but this time I want the whole experience.) Anyways, something made me look again & now I'm happy since I get to enjoy one of my favourite content creator's latest offering way before I thought I'd be able to. (Is "Content creator" a term you like or do you have a preferred term?)
The 1979 Werner Herzog Nosferatu does a much better job developing Lucy's sacrifice (as she is known in that version), and even gives her a scene where she directly rebukes Nosferatu through her own acceptance of mortality. I'd love to see your take on that one (which also happens to be free on UA-cam) As for where to watch the original silent film, I do not personally recommend watching the version of Nosferatu that is on the Best Classics UA-cam channel, as the music is very badly chosen. I have heard very good things about the James Bernard version, though I have yet to watch it in its entirety, and the version on UA-cam Movies & TV seems to be pretty good, though it seems less authentic than the James Bernard version.
_"In truth, Ophelia ...thou hast said a mouthful.'_ Gilligan as Hamlet (Gilligan's Island) The cast loved the dream sequence episodes because it gave them a chance to get away from the island setting. The Hamlet play was the only story that was within the island-sphere. ...my mind began to wander. That film is 100yrs old. Plenty of time for it to become white noise.
I just searching “Ryan Hollinger Nosferatu” last night hoping he’d made a video before on the film and today I wake up to this it really is Christmas time
When the Count told me that, I could leave, I fled down the ancient stairway delighted in the sound of my footsteps in escape. A hard hand fell on my shoulder, and a voice from whose breath smelled of decay and desiccation said in my ear, "Farewell, my friend." I flung off his hand and flung open the great door whence I'd entered, what now seemed an eternity ago, and there was Santa, and his reindeer there to greet me! Ready to go... and... and Ella ...Ella! But someone interposed, to separate she from me. Twas Ebeneezer! Ebeneezer Scrooge was he! All in the flesh and bloated with-with what, I had not time to surmise or really see, because as fortnights as before, four and twenty wolves came ah knockin at the door. While they gnashed their teeth at elves by a sled, I heard his voice in my head: "You would not let four and twenty wolves stand in your way, when you're so apt to leave with Santa, at his sley." He moved to close the great door in front of me, as the wolves turned. In a rush of terror, I bashed my shoulder against the door, amusing the Count. And grabbing a pack of Kool Filter Kings off his elaborate coffee table, I fled. Back again, into the ghostly evening light. And, to all, a merry Christmas. And, to all, a good night.
This movie is amazing in my opinion. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, this and The Phantom of the Opera 1925 really proved to me that horror does not need sound to be effective.
Yeah, it's a striped hyena. In the movie, they refer to it as a werewolf, but Ryan didn't expressly convey that he's citing the movie characters, not making his own conclusions.
Have you considered doing a video on The Last Voyage of the Demeter? It's great that we've been getting more monstrous vampires in recent years. Also, Jess of the Shire has an excellent video titled 'Monstrosity & the Vampire: A History' that I think you might appreciate. She also announced on IG that she'll be posting her own Nosferatu video today.
Something interesting about silent movies that I don't see talked about very often was the use of tinting or toning to add color. For example, they couldn't film scenes at night due to the cameras they used, so they would often tint nighttime scenes blue in order to portray the scene correctly. My first time watching Nosferatu, the version I watched included tinting of certain scenes to denote time of day (yellow for day, blue for night). I think some of the charm of Nosferatu is lost when the color tinting is absent, if I'm being honest - it makes the "dying by sunlight" scene less impactful since you just watched him run around in the day without issue.
I don't think "scary" is the word... I think it's rather fascinating and ahead of its time... but nowadays it's not really scary, the same thing happens to me with masterpieces like Halloween or The Exorcist, times change and Seeing the Reagan doll turning its head is something that shocked people at the time but not anymore. I think that talking about these classics must be done from a cultural perspective but not about whether they are scary or not.
*How is everyone's Xmas?* Send your requests for 2025!
I would love to see videos on:
- Cure (1997) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- The Host (2006) by Bong Joon-ho
- The Fear Street trilogy (2021) by Leigh Janiak
- Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) by Issa López
Review
Pi
Angel Heart
eXistenZ
Razorback
Exam
Conspiracy
Carrie
'Come Play' because it's a hidden gem that nobody talks about
Ludwig the accursed is kicking my ass run
But I got him down to a 5th of his health on a recent attempt
"Whose flickering the lights?"
:::Ryan Hollinger flipping the light switch::
"RYAN HOLLINGER!"
:::grins:::
It's so incredible really that a film as old as Nosferatu that was at real risk of falling into obscurity with all copies of it having nearly disappeared forever is now freely available for digital posterity on UA-cam.
Well I'd better preserve my tape then XD
Deliberately got the Kino Lorber Blu-ray for that reason.
Ironically YT is simultaneously the biggest preserver and censor of the web… idk how to feel about it.
@@JohnQ5How is the blu ray? Been thinking of picking it up.
It’s like Beowulf, which survived in only one copy, which has burn marks on the edges.
When even the most polite movie reviewer Ryan Hollinger is complaining about UA-cam's awful copyright system....you know it sucks.
Very true! :(
@@WhaleManManWhen the most polite person is complaining about a screed up system, it's got worse than it was and they're reasonably mad about it.
I wouldn't even call it a copyright system. It's not a system. It's not even based on the law.
UA-cam is the one platform I actually want to tone it down a bit. Not Meta, Instagram, X etc. ^^
@@1000000man1
Sadly true, I've heard that the real problem with copyright is it's not even updated to catch up with how the Internet/social media works. It's why someone from overseas can easily steal someone's art/online business - because a lot of old laws were made with just their own country in mind at the time. :(
"He's not exactly a vampiric sex symbol."
Your mileage may vary.
-Robert Eggers
Funny; the same could be said of the original design for Erik/The Phantom of the Opera (a "living corpse,") yet look what happened to him over the years. 😆💀
OG Orlock is a dork.
Remake Orlock can suck me dry thank you.
@@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose good call out!
If you’ve read any fanfics on the internet, I think you’d be surprised
I think the Nosferatu design still holds up very well to this day. It looks disturbing and intimidating even by modern standards.
Very true.
I agree, I watched it for the first time this year and was surprised how genuinely offputting some the imagery was as I’m so used to silent era horror films coming across as cheesy/dated
There's a reason it holds up in the World of Darkness Nosferatu clan design as well. It is such an iconic and effective look that it inspired an entire subspecies of vampires for that setting.
I'd still say that Bram Stoker defined the modern vampire, but Nosferatu definitely built upon those ideas and gave us some new things, specifically vampires being weak to sunlight as you said, and the more monstrous depiction of vampires which would go on to inspire other pieces of media, including the Nosferatu clan from the World of Darkness universe. Also, I'm so excited to see the Nosferatu remake!
Vampires being weak to sunlight was already established but them being killed by it was never done until Nosferatu.
We watched Robert Eggers' *Nosferatu* on Christmas Day, and I found it to be a remarkably strong adaptation. It even carried echoes of Werner Herzog's take on the story, which I really appreciated.
Excited to have this video to keep me company while I work-thank you!
My wife and I saw it as well and I agree! It’s fantastic!
The Herzog version deserves a watch by anyone who hasn't seen it.
I heard Eggers state that he consciously avoided watching the Herzog version while in development, and coincidentally, he used the same castle that Herzog used in a totally different way
Im seeing it the 4th of january with my girlfriend so im happy to hear!!
Same here. I loved how every scene was framed to build unease even when nothing evil was happening, and Skarsgard as Orlock was perfect imo.
Last time I was this early, Stoker's widow was suing the studio. Glad to see you covering this, Ryan!
Excellent!
First "hoyevver" drops at 1:37. And with that, we close the year.
It’s worth mentioning that Dracula had the ability to transform into a hound, so maybe Orlok was that werewolf?
That was a hyena...
It’s possible.
what i find so cool about nosferatu is how he influenced the more animalistic depictions of vampires in appearance like fright night (00’s), 30 days of night and the criminally underrated blood red sky
I was somehow completely unaware of "Blood Red Sky" as a movie. Thanks for mentioning it and giving me something else to watch!
And Being Human (US) is in the middle and the hunger is always looming around Aiden and the vampires.
_"Wait, if that was you on the phone and you on the bus, then who was flickering the lights?"_
*~ Squidward Tentacles (Graveyard Shift)*
“NOSFERATU!”
::grins::
"What was that third thing? The walls will ooze green slime! [Glances around panicked] Oh wait, they always do that."
- Squidward (Graveyard Shift, Spongebob Squarepants)
Speaking of century-old horror movies, I'd love to see you review Dreyer's Vampyr from 1932. It's a really unique horror movie that mixes the vampire myth with surreal dreamlike sequences and gorgeous but eerie cinematography.
My mother played this for me as a kid to scare the crap out of me...and it still does so to this day. He's so terrifying looking. She lied to me and told me that's how he really looked, probably why it stuck with me. I'm so excited for Eggers' version
Your mom was diabolical.😢
Something I've enjoyed about how much of an impact Nosferatu had on Vampire Lore was providing people with a means to show Vampires in different stages depending on how much blood they've taken in.
a weakened Vampire takes on a form similar to Orlok while also regressing into a feral state
while the "sex symbol" we know Vampires tend to have is them when they are at their most well nourished.
The original from 1921 is my favorite film of all time, I saw it when I was 11, and it made me a fan of cinema and horror.
I could not be more happy with the remake because I believe Eggers is the best new voice in horror and an incredible auteur. The movie comes out next week here in Chile, it's safe to say it is a whole event for me. I'm so so excited.
I saw it two days ago, and it is a masterful remake. Original enough to be fresh, familiar enough to honor the original. You're in for a treat.
ngl, some of the scenes of Nodferatu just standing there freak me out far more than many more horror movies out there
I knew ryan would come back to us before the year is over and with a great choice too
side note; funny how Willem Defoe is now in not just one but Two Nosferatu movies
Wdym?
@@lonewaffle231 He was in a movie about Nosferatu called Shadow of the Vampire.
Ryan's doing an old black and white classic horror film analysis??!!?? Yes please!!
Parts of the movie were actually filmed in my hometown which is called Wismar and called Wisburg in the film. There are some nice plates of glass with the character of Orlok on them at the locations that were used for some scenes. Still a great film! Thanks for the video.
Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu are two of my favorite movies, they’re just so extremely interesting done and as you said, technical masterpieces. The shot seen at 8:53 is still one of the creepiest things I’ve seen, especially when I was younger.
One of my favorite films of all time. Thank you for covering it, Ryan!
If you like the portrayal of Count Orlock as the prototypical vampire, I strongly recommend the humorous "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000) starting Willem Dafoe.
One of my favorite takes on Nosferatu. Dafoe is brilliant, Malkovich is inspired, and the film is fun and engaging throughout. Dafoe has said in interviews his performance was based on Shreck's physicality, and you can see it.
Also, if I had a nickel for every time Willem Dafoe was in an adaptation of Nosferatu...
If our world was a fair one, we would now have a victorian Spongebob in Eggers' "Nosferatu" being revealed as the one who repeatedly blew out and relit candles in the movie.
I agree lmao
My first born came out looking like a goblin vampire so I dressed him as Nosferatu for his first Halloween. This year he turned three and we watched this movie and the remake together. He loved them and was able to keep up on the story beats which was impressive.
You’re an idiot if you think your three year old knew what was happening
This was the first horror film that genuinely terrified me. I couldn’t watch it for years because it gave me nightmares. Now its one of my favorite films of all time.
You know your timeless when they tried to kill you a century ago, became a film study 101, and SpongeBob talks about you today. I can’t wait to see the new one, and even if the OG doesn’t age well… it’s to important to ignore. That’s worth noting in and of itself.
9:49 Orlock being a walking disease is even made symbolic by the choice of the ship name, Demeter aka the Greek Goddess of the Harvest which Orlock, as a walking plague upon the land, leaves a smoldering wreck, devoid of life.
Add to it Orlock is feasting upon the town and it has a nice contrast.
My first memory of Nosferatu weirdly enough was the video for Queen and Bowie's Under Pressure music video. I finally saw it in Highschool when I rented it from Blockbuster with a friend of mine. It's weird but it holds up in a lot of ways. Orlock is such an iconic design and EXTREMELY menacing
The 1974 version had a sort of more mean spirited ending. Ellen dies and Nosferatu is killed but her husband turns into a vampire anyway and has a man executed for staking Nosferatu.
You're missing out if you don't want that version. It's beautiful
I'm so excited for Eggers's adaptation. Even when I don't like a film he makes, I still appreciate and respect his skills as a filmmaker. Hoping to see it next weekend with friends.
I saw the new adaptation on Wednesday & man it was so good. Glad you’re finally covering a staple of German cinema & horror in general; course my intro to Count Orlock was of course SpongeBob 😅
Awesome! Will you cover the Herzog version or “Shadow of the Vampire”?
Really makes me all the more grateful that I was able to see Nosferatu on the big screen two months ago during October which realy does enhance the creepy tone of the movie. I can only imagine how the new remake takes those already eerie aspects into a scarier direction.
Vampires and Werewolves in the same movie, THIS early in the lore? Heavens.
Well, in the lore they're one and the same until quite recently.
My husband is a musician, and there was a group that this past October did showings of Nosferatu with a small live orchestra playing the best available reconstruction of the original score for the movie, which would have been played by a live group when the movie came out.
Thank you for this! I’ve struggled to watch the original film and your review gave the film a richness I wasn’t able to appreciate while watching it myself!
I know that in the book, Dracula has the ability to transform into a wolf. I'd always assumed the werewolf (actually a hyena irl) was Orlok in wolf form
Other versions of Dracula have given him the power to control wolves, bats, and rats, maybe Nosferatu is where those story roots come from
That’s what I always thought too. It was Nosferatu tracking Thomas journey.
I think this is by far the closest to a perfect horror movie, seriosuly. Every other horror owes a lot to Murnau
It's one of those movies that I'm glad I missed out on until I was old enough to appreciate it for what it is. I'm really excited for the new one, but we have this movie to thank for so much. You did great here. I would love to see more classic horror reviews.
There is something to the silent era, horror movies in particular. Seeing the things that later became tropes is very interesting in hindsight.
I just saw the new Nosferatu with my friend who got me into horror. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and he's encouraging me to see the original. I'm excited for this video of yours.
My dyslexic ass misread that as "the daddy shadow." Which is still fitting.
8:27 "werewolf?" "There wolf. There castle."
Wathcing this while I am getting ready to head to the theater to see Nosferatu. I wanted to support to the visionary and history nerd, Robert Eggers, he is my favorite director. I saw the 1922 version a few years back, so thank you for the summary!!
Nothing beats the original Nosferatu but the recent version is second best. The only disturbing scene from the original is that he is carrying his coffin like selling a furniture house. 2hrs. Is worth it, a combination of horror and an art film.
Thanks for this Christmas present!! Hope your holidays have been lovely :) Excited for all the videos next year.
Oh yes, I remember watching this at college bc I was a media student. And also Shadow Of The Vampire, great little film for Nosferatu fans. Very much looking forward to the Eggers one. I wouldn't say this was my favourite vampire movie, but I love how gothic and eerie it is. Also happy Xmas and have an epic 2025 Ryan!
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the new version. I found it extremely effective at creating an atmosphere of dread and terror.
Just coming out of the Eggers remake, this makes me respect it even more. It absolutely nails the plague stuff.
You've really my year of horror exploration something special. Thanks for all the work you do, and all the great movies you've introduced me to. I hope you have a great new year!
A legendary film. Cant wait for the remake
I saw the new one on opening night. I loved it! Hopefully you’ll see it soon!
Happy holidays!!
I'm from the area where they shot the film, and some of the buildings are still around, which caused some confusion when I watched the film for the first time. Like the building Orlok purchases faces nothing in real life. It's next to a bridge, and there's only water in front of it 🤣
Nosferatu should be its own subclass of vampire to create unique strengths and weaknesses between the two like how one gets killed by sunlight while the other doesn't.
Have you played Vampire Masquerade?
There's a clan called the Nosferatu that have to keep hiding in sewers due to how ugly they are.
Just watched this yesterday to pregame the new movie, was shocked how well it held up
To further the disease metaphor, Nosferatu was made only two years after the official end of the Spanish flu pandemic, which was spread as a consequence of WWI. And at the time there was a lot of questions about it - and even to this day. There's debate over its origins: it seems to have gotten to Europe via Chinese labourers, who might have brought it from Mainland China or picked it up while transiting through Fort Funston, Kansas. There is also evidence of the flu already circulating among the Austro-Hungarian forces as early as 1916. Another interesting thing was that the largest demographic effected by the virus was young adults - the people fighting in WWI. Some modern research indicates that their parent's generation had some immunity due to a flu epidemic in the 1870s, while the WWI generation had no acquired flu resistance and were already weakened by the war. They were stressed, malnourished, injured, already sick, and many had been exposed to poison gas. All of that to say that I'm pretty sure everyone working on Nosferatu was deeply affected by the war and the flu pandemic.
One thing to notice is that all of Europe has recently gone out of spanish flu and it's social impact its comparable to 2020s pandemic.
This is actually my first Silent film
How many people were introduced to this via SpongeBob?
I'm 39, but I still happened to see that SpongeBob episode.😂
While some aspects of the movie have aged poorly due to changes in the format over the last century, the visuals are some of the most iconic and haunting images in all of cinematic history. The shot of Orlock's face feeding on Ellen in the darkness of her room is gonna haunt me forever.
Happy New Year and thanks for all the awesome videos.
Earlier this year my girlfriend and I watched this film for the first time and we agreed it’s still an incredible viewing experience. A lot of the horror is still unsettling and scary, the cinematography is timeless, and even the moments that haven’t aged very well are just goofy to the point we burst out laughing
That werewolf looked suspiciously like a hyena
Never experienced the movie itself but good ol' Nos was introduced to me (and other kids of the 2000s) in that one SpongeBob episode
Hearing Bordwell and Thompson gave me flashbacks to first year seminars at uni. Those were names I never thought I'd hear again.
God i hope this video does well, i hope you review The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
4:46 I hear Raygun tried to sue for this
I recently rewatched it. It's a movie I admire more than enjoy. I really have to be in the mood to watch it, and go in understanding that it's such a different era of filmmaking.
Gonna see the remake on Sunday with friends at my favorite indie theatre. Can’t wait! December’s stacked for movies, something for everyone!
“Hoyever it doesn’t elevate the poyne Nosferatu inflicted upon the toyne.” Is one of the most Irish things I’ve ever heard.
I haven’t seen that movie yet! I’ll have to add it to my list!
Without the quote overlaid, I'd have no idea you said, "aid." Love it!
Another amazing Video... I'm glad I didn't take first impressions because I legit thought this was about the remake & was like nope, will give this a miss until I watch the Movie (something almost unheard of, I'm firmly in the horror at one remove Camp but this time I want the whole experience.) Anyways, something made me look again & now I'm happy since I get to enjoy one of my favourite content creator's latest offering way before I thought I'd be able to. (Is "Content creator" a term you like or do you have a preferred term?)
The 1979 Werner Herzog Nosferatu does a much better job developing Lucy's sacrifice (as she is known in that version), and even gives her a scene where she directly rebukes Nosferatu through her own acceptance of mortality. I'd love to see your take on that one (which also happens to be free on UA-cam)
As for where to watch the original silent film, I do not personally recommend watching the version of Nosferatu that is on the Best Classics UA-cam channel, as the music is very badly chosen. I have heard very good things about the James Bernard version, though I have yet to watch it in its entirety, and the version on UA-cam Movies & TV seems to be pretty good, though it seems less authentic than the James Bernard version.
_"In truth, Ophelia ...thou hast said a mouthful.'_
Gilligan as Hamlet (Gilligan's Island)
The cast loved the dream sequence episodes because it gave them a chance to get away from the island setting. The Hamlet play was the only story that was within the island-sphere. ...my mind began to wander.
That film is 100yrs old. Plenty of time for it to become white noise.
I love what ever you do sweet peeks. I will always watch your videos 🎉
In my opinion Nosferatu is a true masterpiece and the film that created the horror genre on film.
I woulda loves to here a deeper dive into *Shadow of the Vampire*
A meta take on the making of this film
Happy New Year, Ryan! Looking forward to next year's videos.
I just searching “Ryan Hollinger Nosferatu” last night hoping he’d made a video before on the film and today I wake up to this it really is Christmas time
When the Count told me that, I could leave, I fled down the
ancient stairway delighted in the sound of my footsteps in escape.
A hard hand fell on my shoulder, and a voice from whose breath smelled
of decay and desiccation said in my ear, "Farewell, my friend."
I flung off his hand and flung open the great door whence I'd
entered, what now seemed an eternity ago, and there was Santa, and
his reindeer there to greet me! Ready to go... and... and Ella ...Ella!
But someone interposed, to separate she from me. Twas Ebeneezer!
Ebeneezer Scrooge was he! All in the flesh and bloated with-with what, I
had not time to surmise or really see, because as fortnights as before,
four and twenty wolves came ah knockin at the door. While they gnashed
their teeth at elves by a sled, I heard his voice in my head:
"You would not let four and twenty wolves stand in your way, when you're
so apt to leave with Santa, at his sley." He moved to close the great door
in front of me, as the wolves turned. In a rush of terror, I bashed
my shoulder against the door, amusing the Count. And grabbing a pack of
Kool Filter Kings off his elaborate coffee table, I fled.
Back again, into the ghostly evening light.
And, to all, a merry Christmas.
And, to all, a good night.
I liked Willem Dafoe's slant on playing NosferaTu....a crazy slant remake I used to own on vhs.
Can you imagine seeing such iconic imagery of horror over 100 years ago....the audience must have been terrified
I really hope you review the Eggers film! I watched it on Christmas Day and did not regret it at all!
The film using a hyena to potray a werewolf is funny to me
Just saw the new one yesterday. What a feast of a movie.
This movie is amazing in my opinion. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, this and The Phantom of the Opera 1925 really proved to me that horror does not need sound to be effective.
That's not a werewolf, that's a hyena
Yeah, it's a striped hyena. In the movie, they refer to it as a werewolf, but Ryan didn't expressly convey that he's citing the movie characters, not making his own conclusions.
For anyone who hasn't seen the new nosferatu yet, this video is basically a spoiler for the whole movie. It is that faithful of an adaptation.
There is also the 1979 remake and a 2000s fake behind the scenes movie where they cast a real vampire as Orlock.
Have you considered doing a video on The Last Voyage of the Demeter? It's great that we've been getting more monstrous vampires in recent years. Also, Jess of the Shire has an excellent video titled 'Monstrosity & the Vampire: A History' that I think you might appreciate. She also announced on IG that she'll be posting her own Nosferatu video today.
I wonder what your thoughts are on Herzog's 1979 version, as well as 2000's "Shadow Of The Vampire" which also happens to feature Willem Dafoe.
Something interesting about silent movies that I don't see talked about very often was the use of tinting or toning to add color. For example, they couldn't film scenes at night due to the cameras they used, so they would often tint nighttime scenes blue in order to portray the scene correctly. My first time watching Nosferatu, the version I watched included tinting of certain scenes to denote time of day (yellow for day, blue for night). I think some of the charm of Nosferatu is lost when the color tinting is absent, if I'm being honest - it makes the "dying by sunlight" scene less impactful since you just watched him run around in the day without issue.
Omaigah, what a review 😯
❤
I don't think "scary" is the word... I think it's rather fascinating and ahead of its time... but nowadays it's not really scary, the same thing happens to me with masterpieces like Halloween or The Exorcist, times change and Seeing the Reagan doll turning its head is something that shocked people at the time but not anymore. I think that talking about these classics must be done from a cultural perspective but not about whether they are scary or not.
I’m excited for the remake
I watched the 2025 Nosferatu today, and it's really interesting seeing how/why there are changes from the OG novel to the movie versions