Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu was a horror film released in 1922 by German director F.W. Murnau.  It was a silent film, and is considered to be one of the earliest and most influential horror films. An adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", the company who made the film (Film Arts Guild) were sued, and ordered to destroy all copies due to copyright infringement. However, one copy survived and the film went on to become very famous, regarded as an influential film of early cinema.

One of the reasons that this film was so iconic was the way that it used conventions. It was one of the first films that used the now recognizable conventions which make the film easily identifiable as horror. These conventions include the use of low key lighting, shadows of figures and the use of make-up to create a supernatural being.  

[A clip from Nosferatu where a shadowy figure is seen slowly climbing the stairs]

The image of Nosferatu was used in NAZI Germany during the second world war. The NAZI's used the image to portray Jews in propaganda messages. This was used as the image was seen to scare people as it looked threatening and un-human, giving a negative image. This shows how well the Nosferatu character was portrayed in the film, as the audience had a clear understanding that the character was a threat to the protagonist, even before the character was fully shown on screen.