In Stoker's novel, Dracula is seen as "tall old man [with] a long white moustache" (Stoker 13), retaining a human face and appearances. The result is a character that can hold such a human appearance that Jonathan remains unsuspecting of Dracula's true nature for several days. Count Orlock, on the other hand, has bulging eyes, a massive nose, bat-like pointed ears, fangs. and long, spindly talons. Orlock's proportions are incredibly rat-like and alien, resulting in a creature that "blurs the line between human and beast" (Clark). Orlock is seen as a "plague" (Murnau), causing the viewer to see Orlock as a vile threat to their lives. During the early twentieth century when Nosferatu was released, people around the world were terrified of diseases such as the Spanish Influenza that ran rampant, ravaging the populations of industrialized nations. Murnau plays off the fears of viewers by creating a creature that is more than a man, capable of dealing more damage to a town than what Stoker's Dracula would have been able to do. Evidence of death in the town is presented through the aforementioned victims who are carried out in coffins. .
Knock embodies madness, and in his characterization causes viewers to see him as foreign and disturbing. Knock's face is very different from the normal characters in the novel, and has enormous eyebrows, as well as a demented facial expression with manic gestures, much different from that of the townspeople. Furthermore, Knock writes in unrecognizable symbols and characters, again creating a feel of foreignness and the unknown. In addition, Knock is associated with Orlock as an assistant, thus the viewer attaches Orlock, who embodies the outsider, to Knock. High and low camera angles are used to establish the difference between predator and prey. Not only does Orlock represent all the hidden fears of outsiders within early twentieth century Europeans, Orlock is often seen as enclosing and ensnaring the city of Bremen.