Scaredy Nerds Week 3 - Is the Silence Driving you Mad?

Scaredy Nerds Week 3
Is the Silence Driving you Mad?

Just because you think you are alone, Doesn't mean Slender-Man isn't watching you

Well friends, did you survive another week of the silent horror? Did you enjoy the world's first true glimpse of a Vampire in Nosferatu? Did the insanity that was the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari make you go out of your mind? Once again we watched some of the most important films in the Horror genre. While they may not have been completely scary or terrifying they did introduce some things that will become staples to the genre.

At this point I think I should say that there will be Spoilers. Not just this week, but every week, we will discuss key plot elements from our films and it goes with out saying, but...

You Bet Your Ass We Are Going To Spoil Them! So Do Your HomeWork!


Nosferatu:
This movie is an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula on film, almost. Technically the studio could not get the rights to the book so in order to make the movie that changed some key details. For instance the two biggest changes are in stead of Count Dracula and Vampires we have Count Orlok and Nosferatu. Not that these changes fool or confuse anyone who is familiar with the story, the studio even references the book in the opening credits. Despite the less than noble backstory for this movie it does give us our first glimpse of a vampire on screen. A performance which is carried out eerily by the renowned actor Max Schreck. The most impressive element to this whole production though has to be the use light, darkness, and shadow. Some of the most iconic scenes from the entire movie are nothing but shadows. Of coruse these are shadows of Max Schreck's brilliant portayal of Orlock, but they are shadows none the less. If you enjoyed this movie you need to check out the John Malkovich film Shadow of the Vampire. It is a fun piece of revisionist history that toys with the idea that Max Shreck actually was a Vampire. It is totally worth checking out, I will even give you some extra credit.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari:
Not what you were expecting was it? This movie from the opening scene feels off and it just gets more bizarre as you watch the film. The film was created using expressionist inspired background and erratic behavior all tie in to the films climax. A climax which introduced another first to cinema, the first Twist ending! The reason the world looks like an expressionist painting is because we are being told a made  up story from the mind of a mad man. The world we see reflects the mental state of its author. This is a wonderful use of design and story telling to give the film even more impact when the twist is finally revealed. If you didn't watch this film yet, even knowing the twist you really need to make it a priority to see!



How did our movies this week grab you. Were you caught up in the impressive story telling and production quality? Or do you find your self having a hard time really getting in to these silent films? Well I hope you liked them because we have one more week of No Talking! We really could do a few more weeks of silent horror films, but we have too much ground to cover for us to watch everything.

This Weeks Homework:

Trying to keep things fresh we are taking on 2 other types of horror this week, Witchcraft and Psychopaths. The first is considered one of the creepiest silent films ever, Haxan (1922). The second is known by many as a musical but contains what is considered one of the scariest scenes in all of Silent Film history, The Phantom of the Opera. So grab your blanket, but don't cover your eyes completely because it is Scary Movie Time!

Haxan (1922)


The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

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