I’ve never been much of a horror fan, mostly because I get scared quite easily, but when everybody started talking about Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, I knew I had to see it. Nosferatu is a remake of the F.W. Murnau’s unauthorised 1922 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire thriller, Dracula. I watched the original film in preparation, and whilst its striking expressionist style and the physicality of the vampire himself is certainly iconic, I could definitely see how there could be an appetite for an update.
It’s undeniable, that Nosferatu was terrifying. Whilst there was considerable reliance on jump scares which, in a cinema with enormous speakers, were absolutely horrific. Eggers was also able to create a phenomenal, creeping sense of fear and tension which if anything, was more frightening. The aesthetics were also stunning; giant vistas of Romanian countryside, abandoned buildings, dark forests, candlelit interiors and gorgeous period costumes – Nosferatu is certainly about more than just gore.
What really stood out for me though was the quality of the performances. Other than Aaron Taylor Johnson who was good but definitely the weakest link, every single actor gave a career-defining performance. Nicholas Hoult was fantastic as the straight-laced husband whilst Willem Dafoe did not disappoint in his classic role of “weird guy”. For me though, as I think for a lot of people as well, Lily-Rose Depp was the standout performance, and I was so pleasantly surprised by what she did with the character of Ellen. I haven’t seen her in many films and I wasn’t expecting much, but her emotional range as well as the physicality of her contortions was so impressive that I came out of the film with a lot of respect for her. Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok was also unrecognisable, and whilst I personally found the moustache and exaggerated Eastern European accent to be a little bit too cartoonish, I thought his performance was overall, incredibly frightening and impressive.
Despite being a direct adaptation of Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, Eggers makes a point of delving deep into all different kinds of vampire lore and that makes the film a really well-rounded and interesting presentation of a vampire story. A far cry from Twilight’s Edward Cullen, Count Orlok is repulsive to look at as he is styled by Eggers to look like rotting corpse, an aesthetic choice which is very effective. The similarities are certainly there with Murnau’s version, but I think Eggers did really well to evolve and add to the Nosferatu story, truly making it his own. Eggers’ version feels like an extended edition of the 1922 version that is a perfect update for a modern audience who may not be too keen on the caption cards and exaggerated performances of a silent film. Eggers’ emphasis on the eroticism of the vampire story as well as the treatment of class and gender politics further complexifies the film and introduces multiple interesting lines of thought that leaves the audience with a lot to think about as they leave the cinema.
Overall, Nosferatu is a cinematic masterpiece. It was a thrilling blend of classic blood and guts horror, unsettling silence and beautiful cinematography and craftsmanship. My only criticisms would be that it did drag at points, and I personally found aspects of Orlok’s character to be distractingly cartoonish. The crowning glory of the film has to be the performances and aesthetics both of which were truly phenomenal. Despite hiding behind my hands for a significant portion of the film, I really enjoyed the whole experience much more than I was expecting to and would highly recommend Nosferatu to anyone who thinks they have the stomach for it.
