100 years of Nosferatu: Demons never die

Considered to be one of the first horror films, "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" was released in 1922. The actor Max Schreck played the vampire Nosferatu; his character was gaunt, with unnaturally pointed ears, equally pointed teeth and long curved fingernails. The sinister count becomes a bloodsucker at night, demonic and tormented at the same time.

Nosferatu is brought onto a ship in a coffin. During the voyage, almost the entire crew dies of the plague. In the end, only the mate and the captain are left. When Nosferatu appears on deck, the mate throws himself off the ship. The captain also does not survive the voyage. When the ship arrives in port, it's discovered not a living soul remains on board. Well — almost.

Nosferatu brings plague and death to the port city — only the blood of a girl can stop him. A young woman sacrifices herself; he sets upon her, forgetting that the morning is already here. As the sunlight hits him, he dissolves into smoke. Countless vampire films and stories have followed this pattern — and the fascination with the bloodsucker continues to this day.

The designer Albin Grau not only created this poster but had the initial idea of making a vampire film and was able to convince director Friedrich Murnau to come on board. Grau was ultimately the film's artistic director who designed the iconic masks and costumes, and also created promotional graphics, in line with the prevailing German Expressionist aesthetic.

The exhibition of the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection in Berlin's National Gallery shows many of the original publicity materials, and also the artistic influences informing the artwork, such as this poster. The vast array of promotional material for the film included a printed essay on vampirism. The program booklet also helped to elicit the promise of a frightful cinematic experience.

In the Berlin exhibition, on view until April 23, 2023, the film images are juxtaposed with drawings, prints and paintings by artists such as Alfred Kubin, Francisco de Goya or Caspar David Friedrich. The above image is by Czech graphic artist Frantisek Kobliha, who, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's nightmarish stories, created a series of eerie etchings.

This painting entitled "Song in the Twilight," by Franz Sedlacek, an Austrian painter of the New Objectivity school, seems comparatively peaceful. However, the warm-looking atmosphere of this room with its muted colors and the person at the piano is deceptive. For the flying bat in the room casts no shadow and could turn into a bloodsucking monster when darkness falls.