This coming Friday marks a special occasion for horror fans, because it was on March 4, 1922 that the classic silent film Nosferatu made its cinematic debut at a special premiere held at Germany’s Berlin Zoological Garden.
Directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as the rat-faced, corpselike Count Graf Orlock, Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, with character names changed and plot points slightly adjusted, in an attempt to avoid a copyright lawsuit—a ploy that ultimately failed when the Stoker Estate and its attorneys came calling; worse yet, they insisted as part of the settlement that every copy of the film be destroyed!
Some prints survived, of course, and a very good thing that was, because Nosferatu is one of the greatest horror movies ever made, made memorable by the combination of iconic imagery from Murnau and cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner, and Schreck’s fearsome portrayal of the monster. If you’ve never seen it, or haven’t watched it in some time, do yourself a favor this weekend and give Nosferatu a look.
And speaking of the nefarious Count Orlock, let me remind you of “Night’s Children,” a short story that I contributed to indie house Black Coat Press’s 2008 anthology, Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror, edited by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier. My tale involves Irma Vep (the femme fatale of the 1915–16 French silent movie serial Les Vampires) crossing paths with Orlock in Berlin. It’s no romantic tale, however—Orlock is a rat-faced, bloodsucking monster, and Irma, an art thief, is his next intended victim. Who comes out the winner? You’ll only find out by reading the story!
“Night’s Children” was subsequently reprinted in 2015, in Black Coat’s undead-fiction collection The Vampire Almanac, Volume 2. So, if you’d rather read an anthology of vampire stories instead of an anthology that leans more toward a sci-fi atmosphere, you have a choice!
Both Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror and The Vampire Almanac, Volume 2 can be ordered from online bookstores, as well as directly from Black Coat Press. If you’re a fan of vampire fiction, you should definitely check them out.
And Happy 100th Anniversary to F.W. Murnau and Max Schreck and all the cast and crew of Nosferatu—you made an exceptional horror film that’s still thrilling fans to this day. Congratulations!
