The Evolution of Dracula

Nosferatu (1922)
The Bite: Director F.W. Murnau was denied the rights to the novel Dracula after he had already started filming, so he made a host of modifications to his script, including changing all the characters' names. But Stoker's widow sued anyway, and German courts ordered all prints of the movie destroyed. Reels, however, managed to survive and, a cinematic legend was made.
The Undead: Max Schreck is rendered unrecognizable by a makeup transformation that remains ghoulish and frightening today. His performance, meanwhile, projected menace, mystery and otherworldly evil.
Scream Factor: Murnau's eerie, impressionistic set combined with Schreck's inspired performance give this silent film its haunting power. Its influence, is undeniable; it was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog, and was the subject of the Shadow of a Vampire (2000), a fictional "behind-the-scenes" account of the filming of Nosferatu.

Nosferatu, Max Schreck, 1922