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A still from the silent classic. Screengrab
vampire movie
'Nosferatu' director's skull stolen from his grave
It’s not clear whether the grave of F.W Murnau was targeted specifically.
AUTHORITIES IN GERMANY say the skull of the director of 1920s silent vampire classic ‘Nosferatu’ has been stolen from his grave.
Olaf Ihlefeldt, the administrator of the cemetery in Stahnsdorf, outside Berlin, said the theft of Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s skull was noticed Monday.
He said today it was hard to pin down when it was stolen but that the theft likely took place between July 4th and 12th.
It wasn’t clear whether Murnau was targeted specifically, and the thief or thieves left little superficial damage. He is buried alongside his two brothers, whose graves were undamaged.
Police opened an investigation and called for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious at the cemetery over recent weeks to come forward.
Murnau died in a road accident in Santa Barbara, California, in 1931.
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