Rant Review: Nosferatu 1922 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Quokka, artist uncredited)

I've had my eye on Quokka puzzles for some time now, but such is the size of my backlog that I couldn't justify dropping $20 on one just to try them out. That changed the moment I saw that they offered a puzzle based on the greatest vampire movie ever made! 1922's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is an expressionist classic with an unrelenting air of creepiness and mounting dread that few films can match, particularly if you view it with an accompanying score worthy of the Murnau masterpiece. The art features scenes from the movie, akin to the Lawrence Taylor World of Dracula puzzle I did last year, which depicted scenes from Stoker's novel. The landscape spans Transylvania to Wisborg and the sea that lies between them. The focal point is the image of Orlok emerging from the ship's hold to loom over the city. The film's Count Orlok brings the plague with him, and thus is an even greater threat than the Count Dracula of Stoker's novel. Orlok's only victims aren't the unwilling blood donors upon whom he feeds; Orlok's very presence threatens to transform Wisborg into a city of the dead. The art captures this atmosphere of oppressive horror rather well. 

There are so many characters and bits of business that it's almost a Where's Waldo/expressionist horror fusion, an unexpected combo indeed! There is so much sepia that the puzzle was a bit of a slog at times. Areas such as the ship's rigging and the large, intricately detailed buildings also offered some challenge. The section I left for last will come as no surprise to anyone who reads my puzzle reviews: the upper right corner with the rocky terrain and foliage. (I did the lower left section of foliage just before that!) Even if there's only a small area of foliage, it's a safe bet I'll leave it for last! 

Once the puzzle is done, there are two envelopes to open. These don't contain extra pieces as with Magic Puzzle Company puzzles, but have little search and find challenges. I found most of the crimes and differences between the large included poster and the actual puzzle as I put it together. Kinda makes me feel bad for whoever had to come up with all those riddles! The QR code promises further activities, but the app took forever to download its update and kept bugging out, and I didn't care enough to keep fighting with it, so I didn't see what it had to offer. These post-puzzle challenges aren't reason enough for a purchase on their own, but they are a nice inclusion, and I appreciate the thought that went into them. They definitely need to work on their app, though!

I can't say I'm a fan of Quokka's pieces, unfortunately. The paper-backed pieces are very sturdy, and have a glossy, somewhat plastic-y finish. False fits were possible, and not too easy to detect in some areas. Correct fits sometimes had to be forced to lock together. This didn't happen too often, but even a dozen or so times is far too much for that sort of thing. Several pieces were bent, and the coating made it very difficult to straighten them without leaving an ugly crease across the top of the piece. Pieces simply don't feel very good in-hand, and that's partly why it took me so long to complete this puzzle. It's enough to put me off wanting to buy another Quokka. I did like the funky piece shapes and bat-shaped whimsies, however, as well as every other aspect of this puzzle, so if Quokka can improve the quality of their pieces, I'll be glad to give them another chance. I also highly recommend that they start crediting their artists!