Nosferatu is most certainly the most important horror film of the silent era and one of the first vampire movies.
Directed by F. W. Murnau and released in 1922, it's an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula." The film follows Thomas Hutter as he journeys to Transylvania to sell property to the eerie Count Orlok, a vampire played by Max Schreck. Orlok travels to Germany, terrorizing the village of Wisborg and preying on its inhabitants.
His obsession with Thomas' wife, young Ellen Hutter, leads to a climactic showdown as she attempts to thwart his evil plans.