F.W. Murnau, the legendary German silent film director best known today for making Nosferatu, certainly couldn’t see this twist coming. His head was reportedly stolen from his grave in Germany, 84 years after his death.
The German newspaper Bild.de is reporting that police are investigating the case. Thieves reportedly stole the head of the director from his family grave in Stahnsdorf in western Germany.
According to Variety, Spiegel Online has reported that there was wax residue left behind at the grave, leading police to think that there may be an occult connection to the theft.
Murnau was buried with his two brothers, whose graves were not disturbed.
Murnau is best known as a pioneer of German Expressionism during the 1910s and 1920s, directing Nosferatu in 1922. In the late ‘20s, he emigrated to the U.S. and signed a contract with Fox, where he made Sunrise. The film won three Oscars at the very first Oscars ceremony.
The director died in a car crash in 1931 in Santa Barbara.