On This Day

Nosferatu premiere in Berlin

March 4th 1922

13:16 4 March 2024

The premiere of 'Nosferatu' was held in the Marble Room of the Berlin Zoological Garden on this day in 1922, with guests invited to attend in 19th century Biedermeier costume. F.W. Murnau’s silent vampire film starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok would prove to be highly influential on horror movies for the following one hundred years.

Somebody who was not impressed though was the widow of ‘Dracula’ author, Bram Stoker. The filmmakers were taken to court by Florence Stoker for copyright infringement and at one point all copies of Murnau’s expressionist masterpiece came close to being destroyed.

One print survived though and found its way to the United States. It is from that print that every copy in existence today has been made.