3. Count Orlok as portrayed by Max Schreck in Nosferatu
Although clearly based on Dracula (the subject of a noted legal battle), Count Orlok has survived the test of time and stood out on his own thanks to the simple horrors of F.W. Murnau’s German expressionist film. Look at that image above. That is the stuff of nightmares. Nosferatu did not need blood or extreme violence to paint a portrait of a great vampire, but rather shadow and suspense. The strangely shaped head and ears, incredibly sharp teeth, and altered posture form together in Max Schreck’s brilliantly physical performance. He haunts, he stalks, and he pervades my nightmares. Terrifying! (A Note: as mentioned in my honorable mentions, the very clever film “Shadow of the Vampire” suggests that perhaps Max Schreck himself was a real vampire. It makes for a phenomenal double feature with this classic.)
Advertisement
