Nosferatu: Father of Today's Horror Hits

Towards the beginning of Nosferatu, On the way to see his employer, Harker is told by someone on the road that he “can’t escape destiny by running away.” Agent Renfield, a strange man with big, bushy eyebrows and crazy, white hair, is sitting at his desk examining a letter with an excited look in his eyes. Mr. Harker goes to see his employer, the strange Agent Renfield that is looking at the letter. The odd man is looking at a letter he had received from Count Dracula in Transylvania that was written in bizarre symbols. Every time Harker has a chance of seeing the letter, Renfield hides it from sight. Harker is told of an opportunity to go sell a house to Count Dracula, who wanted to move to Transylvania. He said it was a good prospect for Harker because the count was quite wealthy and not very stingy. The employer laughs as he tells his employee of a journey that he must take that might cost him a little pain, or even blood. Harker inspects a map on the wall, and turns back to Renfield telling him he will accept the job. When Harker inquired about which house to sell to the Count, Renfield told him that he is to sell the one across from Harker’s own house. Before leaving Renfield, Harker was given some interesting advice, that didn’t make too much sense at the time. Renfield said “don’t be frightened if people speak of Transylvania as the land of phantoms…”

Nosferatu was one of the first silent horror movies and it was made in Germany and was released later in America. Since silent movies were so open to interpretation, one could easily watch this scene and think about it differently than someone else. While one person would see that the fact that Renfield hides the letter from Harker to mean that he is in cahoots with Count Dracula. Perhaps Renfield and Dracula are the so-called “bad guys.” Another possibility is that Renfield is already known as a strange man, and this is just one of his quirks. Harker never questions Renfields decisions, and it makes the audience wonder whether Harker is just being a good employee, or if he is timid and shy. He never asks why Renfield chooses the house across from his, nor does he wonder about the warning he is given. One must wonder why Harker would be so bold as to travel to Transylvania and go see the Count when it seems so obvious to the audience that something bad will happen. It seems to be an early example of dramatic irony in movies, which is so prevalent in today’s blockbusters.