There are a handful of horror directors who have successfully made the leap from indie darlings to mainstream success and Robert Eggers is top of that list. Following horror films The Witch and The Lighthouse, he successfully transitioned to mythological action with The Northman, while keeping the gothic aesthetic his fans love. With Nosferatu, Eggers delivers a prestige arthouse horror that could easily become his biggest mainstream hit ever, and he does it without giving up anything that audiences have come to expect from him. It’s an immaculately crafted, chilling vampire story with a frightening monster at its core, even if some of the character work around it feels a bit off.
Eggers’ Nosferatu is the second remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent German movie, itself an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. That film was led by Max Shreck as the titular vampire, with Klaus Kinski playing him in Werner Herzog’s 1979 version. Interestingly, Willem Dafoe played Shreck in an Oscar-nominated performance (He should’ve won, frankly) in Shadow of the Vampire in 2000. He plays an entirely different character for Eggers here, his third time working with the filmmaker as they’ve become joined at the hip creatively, it seems.
Bill Skarsgard plays the vampire Count Orlok, and his is a terrifying take on the character. Skarsgard already kinda looks half-dead, even with his muscular frame. His deeply set eyes seem like they could peer into one’s soul, which is effective as Orlok sizes up his victims, effectively taking possession of them. The story beats are basically the same as Dracula, although I would say Eggers borrows certain aspects from both in terms of character presentation. In the early 19th century, the mysterious Transylvanian (although it’s never actually said) Count Orlok plans to spread his unique brand of evil into Europe by buying property in a fictional town. Nicholas Hoult plays naive, pure-hearted realtor Thomas Hutter, who is summoned by Orlok to his distant castle to sign the needed documents in person. The journey is treacherous, but nothing like what awaits poor Thomas when he arrives. Orlok has an ulterior motive. He is psychically bonded to Thomas’ wife, the beautiful, fragile Ellen Hutter, played by Lily-Rose Depp. Deeply obsessed with her, Orlok has infected her dreams. She sees him when she shuts her eyes, she feels his presence everywhere.
What might surprise some people is how intensely sexual Nosferatu is. Ellen’s fiery passions for the distant Orlok are unquenchable, as well as his blood thirst for her. Depp’s performance as the previously demure Ellen is the best she’s done, especially when she goes into a full psychic trance, overcome with desire. Skarsgard, with his thick beard and booming accent, is both intimidating and alluring, an animal magnetism radiating from him. Orlok is mostly kept hidden in shadow and it’s a wise choice. When he does appear in full it’s a true shock to see the undead predator and we know something awful is about to happen.
Herzog used dark humor to play into Nosferatu being seen as something of a joke in some circles. Eggers does, too, mostly in Dafoe’s character Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, a stand-in for Van Helsing. Not so much a scholarly vampire hunter as an unhinged quack, it’s a zany over-the-top performance that is incredibly fun to watch even as it unbalanced the film’s tone. Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Hutter pal Friedrich Harding is a blustering fool, while Emma Corrin is heartbreaking as his wife and Ellen’s best friend, Anna, who becomes a target of Orlok’s. Eggers, who also wrote the script, doesn’t seem as dialed-in in his depictions of the supporting cast as he is Orlok or Ellen. Stoker had Thomas carry much of the narrative but Murnau shifted the focus to Ellen and Von Franz. Eggers tries to give Thomas more to do but he is largely overshadowed in the second half as Ellen balances carnal urges with the disgust she feels for Orlok and herself.
Nosferatu has long been a pet project for Eggers and he has spent years developing it. He originally wanted it to be his follow-up to The Witch, but instead, he took that time to get it just right. You can get a sense of the loving details in every frame, shot in 1:66:1 aspect ratio which should be a visual treat for Eggers fans and technical nerds everywhere. Eggers might’ve leveled off the gruesomeness somewhat to attract more casual viewers, and there’s a visceral quality that’s missing as a result. That said, Nosferatu is sure to be a winner for them and for horror fans looking for an elevated take on a classic.
Focus Features releases Nosferatu in theaters on Christmas Day.
