The Legacy of Nosferatu

When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon series. However, there was moment in one particular episode that came out almost 12 years ago that has always left me puzzled. Here is that clip of the episode:

Twelve years later, I have finally understood this joke that left millions of kids puzzled! The scary man flickering the lights is one of the legends in the horror film genre!

Nosferatu was a horror film based on the popular novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. The film was shot and developed by the Prana Film Company in Germany in 1921 and was released in theaters in 1922. The film was very popular in the 1920's and became a worldwide success. However, Stroker did not give the developers authorization to do the adaptation of the novel and thus sued Prana Film. The judge then ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, one copy of the film survived and the movie is now seen as a legendary!

It was not until Dr. Martin's class when I realized this connection! It amazes me that over 80 years after the film was released, a kid's cartoon pays tribute to a movie character that a lot of us never knew about.  Another point in class that I thought was interesting was that the actor that played Nosferatu, Max Schreck, did not use a mask, a lot makeup or anything to make him look scary. He naturally looked odd and had scary teeth! That is what I call natural talent!