Under general circumstances, one would find it hard to justify a remake of Nosferatu. Not only are there oh-so-many cinematic variations of Dracula already (both classic and modern), but F.W. Murnau’s original movie from 1922 still stands out as a singular interpretation of the story that holds an important place in the history of film as an iconic example of German Expressionism. (And this is without mentioning that Werner Herzog already crafted a remake with Nosferatu The Vampyre in 1979.)
Nosferatu
Release Date: December 25, 2024
Directed By: Robert Eggers
Written By: Robert Eggers
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe
Rating: R for bloody violent content, graphic nudity and some sexual content
Runtime: 132 minutes
Nosferatu: Release Date, Cast And Other Things We Know About The Remake
What makes 2024’s Nosferatu a special case is Robert Eggers. In less than a decade and with just three features on his filmography, Eggers has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting auteurs working in the medium today, showcasing an impressive and unparalleled devotion to period details in his storytelling and a gift for crafting shocking, awe-inspiring imagery. His particular proclivities and skill make the pairing of filmmaker and material a natural and exciting match, and Eggers’ work ultimately proves that true, as his latest work is full of passion and as exquisite as it is bloody and horrific.
Illustrating the writer/director’s respect for the original, Nosferatu is a faithful reimagining. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is a real estate agent who is sent abroad by his employer Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) to make a deal with the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) – not recognizing Knock’s satanic intentions to unleash death upon the small town of Wisborg, Germany.
While Thomas is away, he puts the care of his young wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) in the hands of his friends Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna Harding (Emma Corrin). It’s a fine arrangement until Orlok begins to supernaturally communicate with Ellen, and things go from bad to worse when the decrepit count arrives in their town. The Hardings initially call in Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) to help with Ellen’s exacerbating condition, but when it’s theorized something more sinister is occurring, they call in the assistance of the eccentric Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe).
With horrific shadows and new spins on the familiar, Nosferatu is a terrifying visual splendor.
With the exception of the fact that German characters are speaking with English accents, Nosferatu makes an overt effort to ensconce audiences in the special time and place that is 19th century Europe, and balances it with a deep respect of filmmaking craft when the medium was still in its infancy. As has been the case with Robert Eggers’ entire filmography of features, it’s hypnotizing and grand. There is not only an understanding of how critical shadows were to the German Expressionism aesthetic, but the filmmaker expands on the iconic imagery of the 1922 movie and achieves his vision with bold and stunning use of natural lighting. Eggers’ collaboration with cinematographer Jarin Blashke and production designer Craig Lathrop has you squinting into flame-licked darkness for a satisfying look at the terror that hides there, and it ever heightens the mystery and raises the pulse – as each time you get a better look, the chills increase.
The story is familiar to anyone familiar with the original and/or Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but (with irony recognized) Robert Eggers breathes new life into them. Count Orlok’s sea voyage is an appropriately bloody horror show of escalating death, and Herr Knock’s decent into madness is particularly gnarly – with candle-lit naked prayers and biting the heads off small animals in the mix as he awaits his master’s arrival. Sharper than anything, though, is the eroticism in the psychic bond between Orlok and Ellen, and threads the needle of sex and death and manages to be both sensual and grotesque.
Nosferatu features a terrific ensemble cast, but it’s Bill Skarsgård who is the great standout.
Lily Rose-Depp doesn’t showcase the kind of gravitas and on-screen power that could have made Nosferatu extra special (in this comment, I reflect upon Anya Taylor-Joy’s spellbinding, star-making turn in The Witch), but it certainly is a performance full of extreme and raw emotion, and she is surrounded by an outstanding ensemble of co-stars. Nicholas Hoult is fantastic as the naïve-but-brave Thomas, his increasing terror witnessing the titular being reflecting our own, and Willem Dafoe is an extraordinary scene-stealer as the eccentric Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, an outsider scientist whose strange behavior matches his belief in alchemy and monsters.
With time and reflection, however, it’s Bill Skarsgård’s turn as Count Orlok that is the greatest achievement of Nosferatu. If it weren’t for the fact that the actor’s name is in the cast, one would be hard-pressed to identify him in the role, as it is a full and masterful transformation. His co-stars may not do region-accurate accents, but he entrances with a deep and rolling Romanian brogue, the words uttered from rotting lips beneath a thick, long, black mustache. He emanates control with his presence, but he is also very much an animated corpse.
Robert Eggers and designer David White and his makeup team had the daunting task of recreating one of cinema’s most iconic creations, and it’s instead a reinvention that is a perfect nightmare that smells of death through the screen. His visage is playfully hidden in shadow for much of Nosferatu, but the teases are horribly delicious and ultimately earned with jaw-dropping revelations of his full form.
The film has been a passion project for Robert Eggers, and it’s a great achievement that only further solidifies the writer/director’s place as one of modern film’s most exciting talents. It keeps a cold grip around you from its disturbing, dream-like opening sequence and never lets go, and while it’s a title that operates as counterprogramming to the general atmosphere of the holiday season, Nosferatu is easily one of the best movies to be released here at the end of 2024.