Christopher Walken added a creepy little note to his Max Shreck in Batman Returns when he remembered seeing The Great Gatsby and asked Tim Burton for a pair of cuff-links made from human teeth. The cufflinks in the original film had belonged to a shady friend of Gatsby - Meyer Wolfsheim - who was involved in the 1919 World Series Black Sox scandal, and were designed to suggest his subtle malevolence. Walken's character name itself was also an Easter Egg, as he was named for early vampire actor Max Schreck who played Count Orlok. The name is also German for fright of horror, which clearly suits the character. For Batman Returns, Tim Burton again channelled Schreck and Nosferatu for The Penguin's appearance and behaviour - as well, most obviously for the way his shadow was framed. He was an amalgam of characters Orlok (Dracula) and Knock (Renfield) from the iconic horror.
