The filmic scene of 2025 (or 2024 depending on which side of the pond you are) begins (and ends) not with a bang, but with a whimper, and a haunting crescendo of screams, blood, and eerie silence as Robert Eggers returns with his fourth venture into the terrifying, the gothic and the macabre.
There isn't much need for me to delve into the plot considering how well-known the story of Dracula is, but in a nutshell: boy meets girl, girl is intertwined with ancient evil vampire, vampire awakens to win back girl, chaos ensues. That might seem like a gross oversimplification and it is, so If you're reading this and thinking it sounds like your kind of thing because you liked Twilight (a comparison that Eggers himself did in fact make... sort of), I implore you to do your research before skipping down to the cinema in your favourite "Team Edward"Â merchandise. This is a story of love and hate and how close they can be. It's about attraction and repulsion, shame and sensuality in disgust, as a woman is plagued by horrifying dreams and her husband is sent to find the product of them.
What was originally slated to be his second film, Eggers' Nosferatu is not merely a remake of F. W. Murnau's version nor Werner Herzog's, this is Eggers taking parts of both along with their source material by Bram Stoker and expanding upon them. He delves deeper into vampire lore and Gothic mythology, creating a rich backdrop that adds layers of authenticity and depth to a familiar story. It is a sinister love letter to not only Nosferatu and Dracula, but the entire Gothic horror genre.
Eggers' vision is brought to life by a star-studded cast made up of both Eggers regulars and newcomers. Among those newcomers is Lily-Rose Depp, who gives a jaw-dropping performance (on her part, quite literally) as Ellen Hutter- the product of Count Orlok's obsessions, in a role originally intended for Robert Eggers mainstay Anya Taylor-joy. She delivers a career-defining performance with a raw vulnerability and power that embody the character’s inner conflict.
Willem Dafoe is among those rejoining Eggers and also appearing in his second Nosferatu feature (after Shadow of the Vampire, in which he portrayed the vampire as Max Schreck did in the 1922 original). Dafoe doesn’t break much new ground here and delivers a typical Dafoe performance, but his presence is ever-welcome. Nicholas Hoult and Aaron Taylor-Johnson offer sympathetic counterparts to their wives' tragedies (Emma Corrin being the other), Ralph Ineson marks his third collaboration with Eggers and Simon McBurney may have given an even more frightening performance as Nosferatu's devoted follower than the movie's titular character.
Speaking of the titular character, Bill Skarsgård continues making his career as terrifying villains under heavy prosthetics and make-up. The vampire's look was shrouded in secrecy right up until the film's release, and even much of the big evil's early appearances are brief and/or obstructed, evoking the dread of a predator lurking in the shadows. Without spoiling much about the look for those who have not yet seen or had it spoiled, there is one big change that surprised some. But with Eggers' meticulous historical research fuelling each of his projects, it is worth mentioning that the look of the vampire is based not only on Transylvanian nobleman as well as early written accounts by people who believed that vampires genuinely existed, but on how Bram Stoker originally wrote Count Dracula.
It is in that early portion of the film that Eggers delivers arguably his finest work of the affair; Thomas Hutter's descent to Orlok's manner is genuinely frightening, and showcases Eggers' ability to build dread in the most visually menacing way possible, with his masterful command of sound and ominous tunes to boot. As this is a retelling of a story already told, it does become rather familiar as it goes with events, imagery and tropes that have been done before- even by Eggers himself.Â
With that said however, this version of Nosferatu oozes with undeniable passion as the director realises the vision that he has been working on for years. It is his most accomplished work to date and certainly his most accessible; given that his previous works are steeped in historical specificity, the familiarity of this classic Gothic love story, albeit with his signature flair, will be an easier watch for the more casual movie-goer- just as long as they can handle its content.
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