Nosferatu: Which Version to Watch? Films, Scores & Streams

In this article

Start by choosing the film. For Gothic horror centred on a young woman and a vampire’s fixation, choose Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024). For a vampire who evokes pity as well as fear, try Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979). Choose F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) for the silent original, where shadow, intertitles and musical accompaniment shape the threat.

If Eggers’ film brought you here, the 1922 original can be a rewarding next viewing: follow what happens to the vampire’s shadow, the spaces he enters and the rhythm of his approach when images and accompaniment carry the threat.

Compare the three films, choose a 1922 viewing option, or identify a copy you have found.

Where to watch Nosferatu (1922)

For the historical-score experience, choose a Murnau Foundation restoration with Erdmann’s music reconstructed by Heller. For a free modern-score option, Tubi lists the GroundUP presentation with music by Bob Lanzetti. These are different listening choices even when both listings say about 95 minutes.

What you want	Edition to look for	Start here
A free stream with a modern score	GroundUP Music Presents: Nosferatu — Bob Lanzetti; English subtitles listed	Tubi details
The restored film with the reconstructed historical score	Kino Lorber: Restored Version — Erdmann / Heller	Kino specifications
German intertitles with optional English translation on a UK Blu-ray	Eureka: Masters of Cinema — Foundation restoration; original-release music	Eureka specifications

GroundUP: modern-score stream

Open GroundUP Music Presents: Nosferatu on Tubi. The listing names Bob Lanzetti’s new score, runs 1 hour 35 minutes, and lists English subtitles. Tubi is free with ads; its catalogue varies by country, so the title page is the place to check local access.

The listing does not identify its picture restoration or intertitle language. Its duration cannot establish that it is the Foundation’s 95:04 DCP, and English in a subtitle field does not establish that the title cards themselves are English.

Kino: historical-score disc

Open Kino Lorber’s Restored Version. Its 94-minute, tinted presentation uses the Foundation’s restored images and credits Hans Erdmann’s music reconstructed by Berndt Heller. That is the musical route we recommend first.

The page lists Blu-ray and DVD formats. Check language options and region on the exact product you select; this listing does not settle them for every format or for a similarly named stream.

Eureka: German-intertitles disc

Open Eureka’s Nosferatu Blu-ray. It lists the tinted Foundation restoration at 97 minutes, with original German intertitles, optional English subtitles and original-release music. The Blu-ray is Region B: choose this route if your player supports it and you want the German title cards with an English translation.

Distributor listings checked 15 September 2026. Streaming playback and title-specific country availability were not tested.

Already have a listing open? Compare its edition name, music credit and runtime. The check can separate these candidates without treating every 95-minute copy as the same version.

Choose your Nosferatu film

Robert Eggers, 2024: the film with Bill Skarsgård

Focus Features’ official film record identifies Eggers as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult among its cast. Its Gothic horror centres on the obsession between a young woman and the vampire pursuing her. This is a separate production from Murnau’s film.

Nosferatu (2024): theatrical or Extended Cut?

The Extended Cut runs 3 minutes 28 seconds longer than the theatrical version in Universal’s US UHD and Blu-ray specifications. Choose the theatrical cut to see the version released in cinemas, or the Extended Cut if you want the longer home-video presentation.

2024 cut	UHD / Blu-ray runtime	What the label identifies
Theatrical	2:12:17	The cinema-release cut
Extended Cut	2:15:45	The longer cut released for home viewing

Those timings belong to Universal’s February 2025 US disc release. Its DVD specification lists 2:12:25 and 2:15:53, preserving the same gap. For a digital rental or stream, check the cut named in that service’s listing; these disc timings do not establish which version a service supplies.

Universal lists deleted scenes separately from the Extended Cut among the extras. A deleted scene appearing in the bonus menu therefore does not establish that it has been restored to the feature. Look for the Extended Cut in the edition’s feature options when that is the version you want.

The restoration, intertitle and musical-accompaniment choices further down this guide concern the 1922 silent original.

Werner Herzog, 1979: the film with Klaus Kinski

Choose Nosferatu the Vampyre if you are looking for Herzog’s interpretation, with Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani and Bruno Ganz. The BFI’s introduction draws attention to the pity Kinski’s vampire can evoke alongside his menace. That gives this sound-era interpretation a different point of comparison with Murnau’s original. It belongs beside Murnau’s and Eggers’ films in a viewing comparison, rather than among editions of the 1922 footage.

The BFI’s record describes an English-language presentation of the 1979 film. Check the language of the edition you are considering instead of assuming that the year and title settle that choice.

Nosferatu (1979): English or German?

The English and German versions contain separately filmed dialogue scenes. In his CineOutsider review, Gary Couzens describes the cast delivering lines in the two languages, alongside some performers whose voices were replaced through dubbing. The choice can change the performance as well as the words you hear.

Your preference	Language version	Subtitles on the 2025 BFI release
Hear the German dialogue and read its English translation	German	English subtitles
Follow the spoken dialogue in English	English	Optional descriptive subtitles

Descriptive subtitles are the option to choose when you also need sound information conveyed in text. If you prefer English dialogue without captions, the English version’s subtitles are optional.

BFI’s 2025 release announcement lists both language versions on each format: the 4K UHD, BFIU0020, and the Blu-ray, BFIB1549. Either release lets you compare the two; choosing a format does not commit you to one language. The Blu-ray product is Region B, so check your player’s compatibility with that disc.

For a picture-quality comparison before choosing the UHD, CineOutsider’s revised assessment describes inconsistent digital noise reduction in its transfer.

For a second viewing, return to a conversation in the other language version. Listen to the delivery and watch the pauses: the separate takes give you something to compare beyond the words of the translation.

F. W. Murnau, 1922: the silent original with Max Schreck

Choose this for the original Orlok and a film built around silent images, intertitles and musical accompaniment. The Murnau Foundation’s account identifies Max Schreck and the 1922 premiere, and describes the film’s lasting use of shadow. It also records the restoration discussed below.

For a first viewing, our recommendation is the tinted 2005–06 Murnau Foundation restoration. Its restoration credit, title language and score give you a useful way to identify a copy even when sellers list slightly different running times.

Choose a restoration of the 1922 film

Best first restoration: begin with the tinted 2005–06 restoration prepared for the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. The Foundation’s February 2025 digital-cinema catalogue identifies its DCP at 95 minutes 4 seconds (95:04), with German intertitles, optional English and French subtitles, and Hans Erdmann’s original music reconstructed by Berndt Heller.

Use those five details together: restoration credit, tinting, intertitles, score, and runtime. Nosferatu has circulated in different prints, transfer speeds, title languages, reworkings, and score combinations. A listing at 94, 95, or 97 minutes does not by itself prove a different cut, and “the longest version” or “the HD version” is not a reliable identity test.

The restoration is our first choice because its tinting, original German intertitles and reconstructed original-release score offer a coherent introduction to the film. An alternative score can make a rewarding second viewing: listen for how the approach to a doorway changes when the music changes with it.

The 1922 first-viewing checklist

Look for most of these identifiers:

Film: Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens, directed by F. W. Murnau
Restoration: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, restored in 2005–06 by Luciano Berriatúa
Runtime: around 94–97 minutes; the Foundation DCP is exactly 95:04
Image: tinted rather than uniformly black and white
Intertitles: original German titles, with subtitles if needed
Music: Hans Erdmann’s 1922 score reconstructed by Berndt Heller

The Nosferatu Film page connects this recommendation to its Guide, people, related films, and evidence. It does not claim that any surviving presentation is an untouched premiere print.

The 1922 version map: tint, score and runtime

Presentation	What changes	Runtime	How to use it
Murnau Foundation 2005–06 restoration DCP	Restored tinting and German intertitles; Erdmann score reconstructed by Heller	95:04	Preferred first viewing
Eureka home-video presentation	Foundation restoration; tinted; original German intertitles; optional English subtitles	97 min	A distributor presentation of the restoration, not runtime proof of a new cut
Kino Lorber restored edition	Foundation restoration; tinted; Erdmann/Heller score	94 min	Another distributor listing of the restoration
GroundUP Music Presents on Tubi	Bob Lanzetti score; English subtitles listed; picture restoration unconfirmed	95 min	A modern-score alternative, not identified as the Foundation DCP by its duration
Filmportal examined version	A separately catalogued examined version	64 min	Evidence of a shorter version, not the recommended reference presentation
Die zwölfte Stunde (1930)	Sound-era re-edit with changed names, added and discarded material, and recorded music	70 min	A historical reworking, not a restoration of the 1922 release

The Film page’s version map records the Foundation version, the shorter examined version and the 1930 re-edit. The Foundation DCP, Kino and Eureka listings belong to the same restoration family despite their different durations; GroundUP’s picture source remains unconfirmed.

Tinting is not modern colourisation

Murnau photographed the film on black-and-white stock, but silent-film presentation was not necessarily colourless. The preferred restoration is tinted: whole passages carry a colour wash. That is different from assigning new colours to individual faces, costumes, or objects.

For the difference between colouring the light and dark areas of a print, see tinting versus toning.

The colour shifts help organise night, interior space, landscape, and threat. A uniformly black-and-white copy can still contain Murnau’s images, but it removes one documented element of the restored presentation. For a first viewing, do not reject the tinted version as a modern novelty.

The score is reconstructed, not a surviving recording

Hans Erdmann composed the music associated with the film’s original release. The restoration does not contain a surviving soundtrack recording from 1922. It uses Berndt Heller’s reconstruction of Erdmann’s music, performed by the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra.

That distinction matters. A reconstructed composition can be historically grounded without being the exact sound heard in every 1922 cinema. Silent films were performed in venues, and alternative accompaniment remained part of their life.

For a first viewing, Erdmann/Heller is the clearest historical anchor. On a later viewing, another score can reveal how music redirects the same images. Score choice is a presentation difference even when the picture source is closely related.

Why the listed runtimes disagree

Silent-film duration depends on more than missing scenes. Transfer or projection speed changes the length of the same footage. Intertitles, logos, restored inserts, distributor accounting, and synchronisation with a score can produce smaller differences.

The reviewed public sources do not publish a frame-per-second specification that lets us calculate every 94–97 minute variation. The safe conclusion is therefore narrow: the Foundation DCP is documented at 95:04; Eureka and Kino list presentations of the Foundation restoration at 97 and 94 minutes. Those numbers alone do not prove three cuts.

A fall to 64 or 70 minutes deserves closer inspection because the sources identify separate objects. Even then, the reason is not simply “shorter is incomplete.” Filmportal’s 64-minute entry is a separately examined version; Die zwölfte Stunde is a deliberate sound-era re-edit.

The 1930 reworking is a different object

Die zwölfte Stunde: Eine Nacht des Grauens was created in 1930 from Murnau material as a synchronised sound-film reworking. Filmportal records a 70-minute version overseen by Waldemar Ronger. Character names were changed, newly shot scenes and material discarded by Murnau were added, and recorded music was placed on the soundtrack.

That makes it useful evidence of how silent cinema was repackaged after sound arrived. It does not make it a restoration of the 1922 premiere. If an edition runs about 70 minutes, uses different character names, and has a fixed synchronised soundtrack, treat it as this later re-edit rather than the best first route into Murnau’s film.

How to settle into Murnau’s film

If silent cinema still feels unfamiliar, the Trail Silents that don’t feel like homework begins with shorter, quicker films before moving toward larger experiences. Nosferatu is not currently one of its stops, so use the Trail as preparation rather than as a claim that this film is included.

Once the film begins, let the tint changes and music orient you before trying to decode every title card. Watch thresholds—windows, doors, hatches, corridors, and the edge between land and sea. Browse F. W. Murnau films in the catalogue to connect those choices to his other films covered here.

Heads-up: frightening vampire imagery, blood references, plague, mass death, coffins, and self-sacrifice.

A two-presentation route through the 1922 film

First: the tinted 2005–06 Murnau Foundation restoration, about 95 minutes, with German intertitles and the Erdmann/Heller score.
Later: the GroundUP presentation with Bob Lanzetti’s score, where available, to compare a modern accompaniment with the historical-score route.

The 1930 reworking is an optional historical comparison after you know Murnau’s film. Return to the film choices above if you want to continue with Herzog or Eggers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best version of Nosferatu (1922)?

Choose the 2005–06 Murnau Foundation restoration. Its official DCP runs 95:04, restores tinting and German intertitles, and uses Erdmann’s music reconstructed by Heller.

Why is one version 94 minutes and another 97?

Distributor accounting, title cards, score synchronisation, and transfer speed can affect duration. The reviewed sources associate the 94- and 97-minute listings with the Foundation restoration; runtime alone does not establish different cuts.

Is the tinted version colourised?

Not in the modern object-by-object sense. Silent prints commonly used scene-wide tints, and the restoration preserves a documented colour plan.

Is Die zwölfte Stunde a restored version?

No. It is a 1930 sound-era re-edit with changed names, added material, discarded material, and recorded music.

Which score should I choose?

Start with Erdmann’s original-release music reconstructed by Heller. Alternative scores are valid interpretations for later viewings.

Can I watch the 1922 Nosferatu free?

Tubi lists the GroundUP presentation free with ads where available. It has Bob Lanzetti’s modern score; choose the Kino historical-score presentation instead if you want Erdmann / Heller. Compare the viewing options.

Does a 95-minute runtime identify the restored version?

No. The Foundation’s DCP runs 95:04 with Erdmann / Heller, while Tubi lists GroundUP at 95 minutes with Lanzetti. Check the restoration and music credits separately. Use the edition check if your listing is unclear.

Where to go next

Open the Nosferatu Film page for its Version map and related films, or its Ways to watch and read for further edition routes.
Continue to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for another expressionist nightmare.
Continue to M to hear Fritz Lang turn sound itself into a threat.
Continue to The Phantom Carriage for another silent encounter with death and layered imagery.
Compare the restoration problem with Metropolis: Which Restoration Should You Watch?.

Sources and checked dates

Tubi: GroundUP Music Presents: Nosferatu, advertising explanation and regional catalogue explanation — music, listed subtitles, duration and service conditions. Checked 15 September 2026; no playback or country-by-country title availability test.
Murnau Foundation silent-film DCP catalogue — 2005–06 restoration, tinting, 95:04 runtime, German intertitles, subtitle options, and Erdmann/Heller music. Checked July 29, 2026.
Murnau Foundation: “100. Geburtstag Nosferatu” — restoration commission, Luciano Berriatúa, Berndt Heller, Hans Erdmann, and 1922 premiere context. Checked July 29, 2026.
filmportal.de: Nosferatu — original format, 95-minute digitised version, 64-minute examined version, and production credits. Checked July 29, 2026.
filmportal.de: Die zwölfte Stunde — 1930 sound reworking, 70-minute runtime, changed roles, added footage, discarded material, and recorded music. Checked July 29, 2026.
Eureka Entertainment: Nosferatu — 97-minute tinted Foundation restoration, original-release music, German intertitles, optional English subtitles, and Region B product details. Rechecked 15 September 2026.
Kino Lorber: F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu — 94-minute tinted Foundation restoration, Luciano Berriatúa restoration credit, and Erdmann/Heller score. Rechecked 15 September 2026.
BFI Player: Nosferatu the Vampyre — 1979 film, Werner Herzog, principal cast and the English-language presentation identified by this record. Checked 6 September 2026.
Focus Features: Nosferatu — Robert Eggers’ 2024 film, writer/director and principal cast. Checked 6 September 2026.
BFI’s 2025 release announcement — both language versions and subtitle options on BFIU0020 and BFIB1549. Checked 12 September 2026.
BFI Blu-ray product and 4K UHD product — catalogue identifiers; Blu-ray Region B. Checked 12 September 2026.
CineOutsider review by Gary Couzens — separate dialogue takes and voice replacement. Checked 12 September 2026.

The film-choice introduction was added on 6 September 2026. Its two new sources were checked on that date; the original restoration references retain their individual checked dates above.

The recommendation of the Murnau Foundation restoration is Monocurator’s editorial judgement. The runtimes, restoration credits, title languages, tinting, and score details are attributed facts. Edition availability changes by country, seller, service, and format.