Nosferatu (2024)
Rating: 5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
If there was anyone that seemed like the perfect choice to make a remake of the classic vampire film, Nosferatu, in this day and age, it would be Robert Eggers. Considering the fantastic movies he has made throughout his career so far, this iconic vampire tale that was ripped from Bram Stoker's Dracula seemed like the perfect playground for this director who simply knows how to make horror films in different time periods that unsettles the audience. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and it thankfully did not disappoint at all. In fact, I would say it blew my expectations out of the water, and Eggers delivered an unsettling and fascinating retelling of this classic story.
Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult play Ellen and Thomas Hutter, a newlywed couple who just finished their honeymoon and are preparing to settle down. Thomas has a huge opportunity for promotion at his real estate firm, and it is contingent on whether he completes the next job he is given - getting the deed signed by Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) for him to move to the neighborhood that Thomas and Ellen reside in. He is tasked with traveling to Transylvania to meet the Count, leaving his wife with his wealthy friend, Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and his wife, Anna (Emma Corrin).
However, as Thomas arrives at the Count's castle, he realizes that not everything is normal, and there is something incredibly sinister going on. When he finds out that his wife may be at the center of all the upheaval and death and destruction going on, they seek out experts (Ralph Ineson, Willem Dafoe) to help rid them of this sinister curse before it is too late.
This movie is a remake of the original 1922 film by F.W. Murnau, which practically ripped off the story of Dracula. While Dracula was then brought to the screen by Universal in 1931 and therefore remade countless times, there is something inherently creepy and iconic about the film Murnau made. It has achieved a massive cult following and become a staple in gothic horror. Therefore, Eggers had a massive task on his hand, knowing that if it didn't go how he wanted, it could easily be massive setback for his career. Yet, he not only expanded on the original film and explore more of the characters, but easily crafted this modern cinematic masterpiece that could easily be considered one of the best retellings of Dracula.
Eggers is able to tell these gothic stories in such a way that it entrances the audience and really makes them feel like they transported back in time. At the same time, he is able to show how inherently creepy and sinister that these times could have been, and that feeling is imbedded into every single scene in this film. Right from the start, the sense of dread and a sort of nightmarish terror starts to seep in and make the viewers feel incredibly uncomfortable. What I adore about Eggers style of filmmaking, and it is definitely on display here, is how he is able to achieve this slow-burn in terms of horror and terror, not wanting to give away the scary qualities of this film too early. He allows the viewer to sit through this terror that makes them want to shield their eyes to allow them to appreciate the true horror when it fully strikes.
On top of this, I think the cinematography really adds something more to the story as a whole. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschke is hauntingly beautiful, and really captures the essence of this film. From the way the camera is angled in certain scenes to the wide and close-up shots to the sweeping camera movement, the moving images we see on the screen really start to get under the viewer's skin, and forces them to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Every single frame of this film could easily be appreciated as a photograph, and it all works to near perfection when put all together. This is easily some of the best cinematography of the year.
In terms of the performances from the ensemble cast, they truly give the best performances in any of Eggers' films. Starting with the perhaps second career-defining performance from Skarsgård, he gives it his absolute all and really sheds this persona to play a character that you can't even recognize him in. I tried many times to try to find some hint of familiarity in Skarsgård's face or voice, but it simply isn't there, which is wildly impressive. He fully embodied this role and shows how great of a character actor he really is. From there, I would say the second performance that stood out the most to me was Dafoe's, who is serving as the sort of Van Helsing character here. It just felt like this role was perfect for Dafoe and really allowed him to work and play with the aspects of his characterization and really give it this weird energy that Dafoe is known for. I absolutely loved him in this role, and you can tell he had such a great time making this movie.
I was intrigued on how good Depp was going to be in this movie as she has simply been in a bunch of projects that simply don't work (remember The Idol?). But, she proves here that she is simply a great actress that should be held on a higher pedestal than she currently is on. She really gives such a creepy and uncomfortable performance here that does a great job of showing off her acting chops and hopefully allows her to experiment in the horror genre more. Corrin, Hoult, and Johnson all gave great performances in their respective roles, and easily complimented the main stars perfectly.
Since this is a gothic horror period piece, one of the main aspects that Eggers needed to succeed was to make it feel like the audience was transported back in time and get to reside in this story for two hours. This was a major job for the costuming department, the makeup team, the set designs, and many more technical aspects that need to make the movie look brilliantly terrifying in this time period. Unsurprisingly, they all succeeded to the perhaps most perfect level they could. There are moments here that truly made me believe we were watching a story from the 1800s, and the entire design of the movie is so beautiful and eerie. I don't want to say it is perfect as nothing is, but this is pretty damn close here.
I was truly hoping I would like this movie, and I left the theater with this being not only my favorite movie from Eggers, but easily one of my favorite retellings of the Dracula tale. This was a major passion project for Eggers, and you can easily see all of the love and care he put into it. This film seems nearly flawless on many aspects, and is a masterpiece in the modern gothic horror genre. I was blown away by what he and his cast and crew were able to do, and I can't wait to go see this one again.
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