Nosferatu Director's Head Stolen From Grave In Germany

Summary

July 14, 2015: The head of F.W. Murnau was stolen from his grave in Stahnsdof (near Berlin), Germany, where it had been buried (along with the rest of his body) in 1931.

Wax was found on the disturbed grave, suggesting it was stolen by candle light, and/or candles were used in some sort of occult ritual that needed his head.

Murnau was famed director of Nosferatu and other films, making movies about vampires, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Faust, haunted castles, and other very game-able topics.

Source

Bibliography

1. Original article at The Guardian

Game and Story Use

• Perhaps the rumors about Max Schrek being the real deal were true, and he converted Murnau to the undead.
  • Some vampire hunter wanted to make sure Murnau wasn't getting out of his grave.
  • Or a veil out/masquerade action designed to hide his vampiric fangs before some other party might have the corpse exhumed. They almost got Nosferatu destroyed by litigation in the twenties.
• Orlok/Dracula came for his revenge for the bad press!
  • Or Bram Stoker's lawyer came to settle up that copyright claim.
  • Or The Devil coming to collect on some old Faustian bargain.
• What sort of magic item could you make from Murnau's head?
  • An 8mm film projector housed in a human skull?
  • Perhaps a modern version of the Honeyed Head of Archonides, or an enchanted skull familiar (like Bob from the Dresden Files)?
  • Maybe it was used a variant Hand of Glory that swapped out the usual severed hand of a thief for the brain of a copyright infringer?
    • It doesn't make victims fall asleep like the hand is supposed to, but it does force them to accept your head canon.
  • Drop it into a necromantic version of the brazen head?
• Creepy weirdness with a silent-film and occultism pedigree. All in all, probably good fodder for Night's Black Agents, Unknown Armies, Over the Edge, World of Darkness, etc.