In July of 2015, not long after the release of his debut feature film The Witch, Robert Eggers was announced to be working on a remake of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu. A passion project for Eggers, who had directed stage versions of Nosferatu, he would put the project on the back burner and go on to direct The Lighthouse and The Northman. These films further enhanced his reputation after the critical and financial success of The Witch, each film bigger and bolder than the last. Now Eggers has finally released his version of Nosferatu nearly 10 years after it was first revealed to the world, and it proves to be worth the wait.
Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) are newlyweds in the German city of Wisborg in 1838. As Thomas is about to leave to finalise the purchase of a local property with a reclusive Count (Bill Skarsgård) in Transylvania, Ellen is plagued by dreams or visions of an unholy pact she made with an evil entity in her youth, an entity she believes is coming for her.
Robert Eggers has crafted a gothic epic that had me uneasy from the start and never let that feeling of tension go through its 132-minute run time. While the story is by no means unique, can be a little difficult to follow at times and isn’t filled with jump scares or set-piece kills, there is a sense of fear that never goes away due to the performances, score and cinematography.
Pairing with Eggers for the fourth time, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke perfectly captures the gothic setting of the film with incredible use of light and shadows that at times scenes seem to be in black and white (a potential homage to the original film?). With grand sets that have been painstakingly recreated to be historically accurate to 1838 Germany, Nosferatu is easily one of the most beautiful horror films I’ve seen. Partner this with Robin Carolan’s wonderful and entrancing score and this is film is one you won’t want to miss a moment of.
As with his appearances as Pennywise in the recent It films, Bill Skarsgård is unrecognisable as the imposing Count Orlok with a lot of credit going to the prosthetic team for creating a version of the character that is unsettlingly grotesque but not going over the line into the unbelievable. With his unnerving look, deep guttural voice and Skarsgård’s performance, this is sure to be considered one of the best depictions of the iconic vampire on film.
Lily-Rose Depp gives a fully committed and physical performance as she at time contorts her body in ways a body seems like it should. Definitely feels like a breakout performance. Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin all give great performances while Willen Dafoe is delightful as Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, an expert in the occult, who elicits a few much-needed laughs for some momentary relief from the unease of the film.
Nosferatu feels like the culmination of all of Robert Eggers’ work to date. Bringing his unique take and style to this remake of an iconic and revered work, Eggers has delivered a beautiful modern version that lives up to the original’s legacy.
Ashley Hobley attended an advance screening of Nosferatu thanks to Universal Pictures Australia and Reading Cinemas.
