The Creepy Detail You Missed In Nosferatu

Horror movies have a way of looking quaint over time. Something that scared previous generations may simply not come across as scary with new moviegoers who have had the opportunity to witness far more terrifying things. However, nearly a century after it came out, there's still something disturbingly unsettling about the German Expressionist masterpiece, "Nosferatu." 

The silent film puts a twist on the classic tale of Dracula, inventing a new specter to wander into the nightmares of the masses. Max Schreck's portrayal of the vampire was off-putting enough, but at the time of its release, "Nosferatu" was unlike anything else that had come prior. This creepiness came in part from stop-motion animation to make it look like the lid of a coffin levitated all on its own (via Celluloid Vampires). The film also utilized shadows and new camera angles in a way that would've been new to audiences when it first came out in 1922. 

"Nosferatu" set the bar for every horror film to come, and the movie's still worth viewing to this day for how it effectively brought about a sense of dread. You can watch the film on an array of streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Shudder, and PlutoTV, to name a few. When you go to turn it on, keep your eyes peeled for one particularly creepy Easter egg. 

Many movie fans view Max Schreck's Count Orlok as one of the most terrifying movie monsters of all time. The creature operates in a realm close to humanoid but still distinctly an "Other." Sharp teeth, long claws, and an otherworldly way of moving about his home have allowed him to become iconic. Even if you haven't watched "Nosferatu" before, you can still envision the character in your mind. Another way in which Count Orlok comes across as non-human involves something most viewers probably didn't catch on the first watch. Count Orlok only appears in about nine minutes of the entire film, and during that time, he only blinks once (via IMDb). 

This blink occurs toward the end of Act One. Outside of that, Count Orlok continues staring for extended periods, such as his famous entrance, when he slowly walks through a doorway. It's just one of the many ways the character sends a shiver down the audience's spine. What the film lacks in gore and jump scares, it more than makes up for in an existentially draining sensation in which you genuinely feel as though you're watching a member of the undead haunt this group of humans. 

It's impossible to overstate Count Orlok's impact on cinema. After all, director Robert Eggers ("The Witch," "The Lighthouse) had plans to create a remake of the horror classic. In the event it ever gets off the ground, he'll have massive shoes to fill.