despite the movie's failure and prana film's bankruptcy in 1922, the film received critically positive reviews. rotten tomatoes says that 98% of critical reviews were positive (53 out of a total 55 reviews) with an average rating of 3.9/5, stating, "one of the silent era's most influential masterpieces, nosferatu's eerie, gothic feel -- and a chilling performance from max schreck as the vampire -- set the template for the horror films that followed."