The best Nosferatu horror movies, ranked

The future of Robert Eggers Nosferatu It's enjoying a significant amount of buzz ahead of its release. With glowing reviews already coming in, the rising star director's ambitious latest effort promises to be a big deal for the horror genre.



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Legacy of Nosferatu It goes back more than a century to when the original 1922 film shocked audiences with its disturbing images and story. In the years since, this highly influential film has garnered many tributes. Most notably, the legend of the villainous Count Orlok has been relived with several reimaginings that have continued. Nosferatu A legacy spanning decades, from Klaus Kinski's ever-fiery take on character to imaginative, metafictional looks at the origins of the original film, Nosferatu It has enjoyed some very curious new takes over the decades.


4 Vampire in Venice

A flawed film aided by a suitably terrifying performance by Klaus Kinski

  • Director: Augusto Caminito, Klaus Kinski (unspecified)
  • Actors: Klaus Kinski, Christopher Plummer, Donald Plains, Barbara De Rossi, Yorgo Voyages
  • Date of original publication: September 9, 1988
  • Production company: Reteitalia SpA, Scena Film Production


In this informal Nosferatu After his acclaimed turn in Werner Herzog's 70s remake, German powerhouse Klaus Kinski returns for another go-round as the vampiric, predatory villain. As the title suggests, the film follows the vampiric exploits of Kinski in Venice, as he goes head-to-head with Professor Christopher Plummer's Paris Catalano.

While Kinski's performance is boring enough, the film suffers greatly from its flawed script and plot. Behind-the-scenes problems between Kinski and the crew led to severe delays, and the film's director Augusto Caminito ultimately struggled to complete a full shoot. Regardless, Kinski continues to deliver the horror goods in the lead, bloodthirsty role. Good performances from Plummer and an excellent supporting cast help further this entertaining but deeply flawed film.

3 Shadow of the vampire

A thoughtful and trans-imaginative take on Nosferatu's legacy.


  • Director: E. Elias Merhige
  • Actors: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Cary Elwes, John Aden Gillette, Eddie Izzard, Udo Keir, Catherine McCormack, Ronan Vibert
  • Date of original publication: May 15, 2000
  • Production company: BBC Films, Saturn Films

In a fascinating meta-twist on the original classic, director FW Murnau and star Max Schreck become the center of their horror story. John Malkovich Murnau apparently finds a real vampire in Shrek to star in his movie.

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The film features impressive performances from Malkovich and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe as Shrek. As always, the man behind The Green Goblin's cinematically definitive set is suitably unsettling. This imaginative, often creepy, and sometimes humorous re-imagining of a classic flick is a rewarding endeavor for fans of the original and classic vampire stories in general. Interestingly, Dafoe is also one of the stars of Eggers' new Nosferatu, ensuring that a strange connection remains between the classic horror title and the character actor.


2 Nosferatu the vampire

A masterful reimagining that sees Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski at their best.

  • Director: Werner Herzog
  • Actors: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Ajani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor, Walter Ladengast
  • Date of original publication: January 17, 1979
  • Production company: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Gaumont

Werner Herzog's stylish work is both an adaptation of the classic original and its inspiration, Bram Stoker. Dracula. The film was the second collaboration between Herzog and Wildling leading man Klaus Kinski, who enjoyed great success together while often clashing on set.


Kinski gives a no-nonsense performance as Count Dracula and looks similar to the original Count Orlok in the film. Herzog's direction is full of atmospheric scares and memorable visuals that firmly cement classic status for this beloved adaptation. This colorful reimagining, which won critical acclaim among critics and audiences alike, does a remarkable job of analyzing Dracula's character. In turn, a sense of tragic loneliness is added to the murderous monster as the audience follows him to the film's shocking conclusion.

1 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror

The Landmark Original Changed Horror Cinema Forever.

  • Director: FW Murnau
  • Actors: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroeder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshof, Wolfgang Heinz
  • Date of original publication: March 4, 1922
  • Production company: Prana Film

The original classic is one of the most influential films of all time, setting off a wave of horror films in the years that followed, helping to make the genre popular to this day. Nosferatu It served as an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker Dracula.


Director FW Murnau changed the game here, delivering a film that served as a turning point in German expressionist horror cinema. Shocking silent film audiences when it was released in 1922, this film follows the villainous and terrifying character of actor Max Schreck. In stark contrast to the more romantic vampires that have often appeared in modern film and television, Shrek's Count Orlock wreaks havoc in a story that largely follows the classics. Dracula The novel as the original vampire horror film, Nosferatu It is one of the most influential and transformative efforts in the history of cinema.

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