Silent film director F.W. Murnau's skull stolen from grave

STAHNSDORF, Germany, July 15 (UPI) -- An unknown grave robber has stolen the skull of director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau from his gravesite in Germany. The Nosferatu creator has been dead for 84 years.

According to German outlet Der Spiegel, Murnau's head was stolen from his metal coffin located in a family plot in Stahnsdorf; his two brothers' graves were untouched. The publication reports that wax residue found near the crime scene suggest possible connections to the occult.

Murnau died in California at 42 years old in a car accident involving his Rolls Royce, which was possibly driven by a young boy. He is best known for directing one of the scariest horror movies in history, 1922's Nosferatu.

Other works by the German director are Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), The Last Laugh (1924) and Faust (1926).

Murnau's NOSFERATU (trailer) from Cinefamily on Vimeo.