Nosferatu, eine Symphony of the Grauens (translated asNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, or simplyNosferatu) is a 1922German Expressionist horror film, directed byFW Murnau, starringMax Schreckas thevampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation ofBram Stoker’sDracula(1897). Various names and other details were changed from the novel: for instance, “vampire” became “Nosferatu” and “Count Dracula” became “Count Orlok”.
Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaptation, and a court ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, a few prints of Nosferatu survived, and the film came to be regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema. [1] [2]