I received an e-mail a while ago from Sam Harding of Invaluable.com asking if I could write an article about my favorite movie prop/props. It took me a bit of time to come up with one.  But each time I thought of one, another cool one would come to mind... so, I decided I'd write up a quick list of my top five horror movie props. So, there they are in chronological movie order: 1.  " Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror " (1922)- Count Orlok's Coat. While technically not a prop, I would absolutely love to have the coat worn by Count Orlok in " Nosferatu ". This item was such a simple thing that added so much to the character, and the mood of the film.  The dark contrast of the coat with the paleness of Count Orlok's skin, when combined with the shadowy lighting- made you feel as if he was coming out of the shadow physically. It also turned a rather hideous looking creature into a solid, strong looking figure of menace, and added a touch of ...

I started my exploration of the silent horror films of the 1920's (even if TECHNICALLY, " The Hunchback of Notre Dame " isn't a horror film), with the artistic, German expressionist film, " Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror ".  It is therefore, only fitting that I end my journey of that time with another artistic German expressionist film- " The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ". Alan and Francis visit a carnival in the small German town of Holstenwall, where one of the attractions is Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist.  Caligari claims that is sleeping attraction can answer any question asked of it.  When Alan asks when he'll die, his death is predicted for that night... a prediction that comes true.  As Francis and his betrothed investigate Dr. Caligari, things seem to be more sinister than they first appeared... The writers of the screenplay for this movie originally met shortly after World War I, and used their own experiences to come up with the...

Let me say that not only am I a fan of horror films, but I'm a fan of black and white horror films... and silent black and white horror films.  There's just something satisfying about watching a well made "old school" movie that is innovative and able to tap into your emotions without being heavily reliant of technology to do so. "Nosferatu" is one of those films. During World War One, Albin Grau- one of the founders of Prana Films was inspired to do a vampire film when a Serbian farmer informed Grau that his father was one of the Undead.  In 1921, Grau and his partner, Enrico Dieckmann assigned Henrik Galeen to come up with a screenplay based loosely on Bram Stokers novel, "Dracula".  French-German film critic Lotte Eisner described Galeen's Expressionist screenplay as: "full of poetry, full of rhythm" Thomas Hutter is sent to Transylvania to meet a new client by the name of Count Orlok.  Despite being warned about Count Orlok...