The tale of Nosferatu, which is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, has managed to have a long cultural legacy. From F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film, to Werner Herzog’s 1979 version, to a memorable gag from an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, the story and iconography of Nosferatu has managed to persist over a long period of time. Given that the original is a highly influential classic, and the Herzog version is well-regarded in its own right, one might think another remake would be a fool’s errand. And yet, over 100 years after Murnau’s film, we have a brand-new take on Nosferatu from filmmaker Robert Eggers. It is easy to fall into the same woe and frustration that accompanies many remakes of older films and write this off as unoriginal or unnecessary. For me, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic, as Eggers is one of the better-suited directors for a project like this. His debut feature, The Witch shows he knows how to handle horror, and his following efforts, The Lighthouse and The Northman further highlight his darker sensibilities and attention to period-accurate details. The need for a new Nosferatu is debatable, but if one has to be made, Eggers is definitely more than qualified to helm it.
Now having seen Eggers’s Nosferatu, I can safely say that he lives up to his fullest potential with this film. The shadowy visuals, excellent camerawork, and detailed direction give way to a masterwork of gothic horror. It honors the versions of the tale that preceded it, while featuring plenty of touches that make it stand apart as its own thing. Bolstered by a strong ensemble, a tense atmosphere, and incredible technical craft, Nosferatu is a dark, stunning, and unsettling horror film that easily ranks among the year’s best.
In 1830s Germany, young Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) has recently married estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult). When Thomas embarks on a trip to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), a connection from Ellen’s past comes to light. This causes her to see horrific visions and experience high levels of dread, and her friends and family believe she has fallen ill. Amidst all this, a growing obsession between Orlok and Ellen develops, and supernatural forces beyond her control threaten to destroy the world around her.
The film’s opening sequence brilliantly sets the tone for what’s to come, establishing the shadowy aesthetic that Egger’s utilizes so well throughout. This also helps create a foreboding sense of dread and tension that radiates under the surface of the entire film, ebbing and flowing but always feeling present. In the opening scene, we see Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen communing with an evil spirit. She longs for a deep connection with someone, but what she ultimately gets is way more than she bargained for. This one moment has a ripple effect throughout the entire film, and perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come.
Much like Eggers’s other work, there is a slowness that he effectively uses. I wouldn’t say the film feels particularly long or drawn out, but he does a great job of playing with the rhythm of the film. The first act or so takes its time to let the viewer settle into its world, getting used to its specificity and the characters that populate it. Once Thomas and Count Orlok meet, the film considerably picks up the pace, which makes the scarier elements hit pretty hard. Whether it is the possession that Ellen is going through, the continued use of shadows, or the vampirism at the film’s core, there is plenty here to send a chill up your spine. Eggers has such a great understanding of horror, and uses this to pull off the film’s more unsettling moments, and to cultivate a wonderfully fearful atmosphere.
I am of the firm belief that one of the major keys to Eggers’s success as a filmmaker is his longtime collaborator Jarin Blaschke. Blaschke has served as the DP on all of Eggers’s features to date, and this might be some of his most engaging work yet. Apart from the use of darkness and shadows, Blaschke’s camerawork is rather kinetic, giving the film a more manic quality in some moments. It is a little unexpected, mainly because the movement he employs is so unique from his other work, and further aids the film’s genre elements. There are certain turns and angles that disorient the viewer just enough to knock them off their equilibrium, and help them surrender to the madness of the film. Beyond that, the film has a great look, utilizing gothic style and imagery, and creating striking visuals from its more muted color palette. Not to mention that the production design is impeccably made and detailed. This and Blaschke’s cinematography both left me stunned, and are arguably the two best things about the film.
One of the most iconic aspects from Murnau’s original film is how Count Orlok looks. With pointed ears, a long nose, sharp fingernails, and fangs, the design for the character has remained an icon of horror, and has influenced other vampire characters on film. One might think that Eggers’s version might replicate this version in some way, but that is not exactly the case here. While this Orlok is similarly pale, tall, and frightening, he has a look that grounds him a little in the period the film is set in. Instead of being bald, he has a little bit of hair on his head, and a thick mustache that makes him look a little more human. This choice might have come across goofy in a different director’s hands, or if the role was played by an actor other than Bill Skarsgård, but it manages to work fairly well overall. I appreciate that the film isn’t just recycling the classic look of Count Orlok and calling it good, and that there is an intentionality to how he looks in this version.
Speaking of Skarsgård, he disappears into the role of Count Orlok, once again proving to be one of our great chameleonic actors. In addition to the character’s distinct look, Skarsgard uses a deeper voice and Translyvanian accent, and speaks with more of a slow growl. Even though he isn’t in some stretches of the film, his presence is strongly felt throughout, and he is rather frightening to boot. Skarsgård has some menace to his performance, but it is balanced by the more methodical nature of the character. This only makes the character even more unsettling, and heightens the tension of the film as well. This might be my favorite of Skarsgård’s performances yet, and acts as a great showcase of his talent.
The rest of the cast is also great, especially Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Willem Dafoe. Depp’s performance is a bit of a slow-burn, first seeming rather innocent and simple, but gaining more dimension as the film goes on. It is a highly physical performance, which she handles beautifully, and the mix of fear and infatuation that comes out in it is rather powerful. The arc she has in the film is perhaps the strongest, and the complexities of her situation are interesting to ponder. It really took me by surprise, and she ends up being one of the film’s best assets. Hoult is much more tamped down compared to his castmates, but still makes an impression. It is a rather controlled performance, but his reactions to everything around him are quite compelling. Dafoe, on the other hand, comes in with an energy that changes the temperature of the entire film. He has this boisterous presence that steals almost every scene he is in, and he brings so much to the back half of the film. I also enjoyed Ralph Ineson’s performance as a more straitlaced doctor, as well as Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s foppish friend of Ellen and Thomas. Both performances, while smaller in the grand scheme of things, still make their mark on the film.
Nosferatu is an masterfully crafted film that perfectly intersects Robert Eggers’s eye for period-accurate detail with his knack for genuinely unsettling horror. It pays homage to the versions of the story that came before it, but ultimately emerges as its own thing. It is easily one of the most technically impressive films I’ve seen all year, especially in regards to its production design and cinematography. It continues Eggers’s excellent track record for me, as he has yet to make a film that I dislike. This is such a wonderfully made work of horror that still managed to surprise and enchant me even though I was already familiar with this story. A remake of Nosferatu might have seemed like a questionable idea at first, but Eggers and company bring so much to the table, and absolutely nail it.
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