Nosferatu (2024)

In nearly a decade of writing, directing, and producing, Robert Eggers has done much to stand out among genre filmmakers. Whereas his fellow 2010s breakthrough artists Jordan Peele and Ari Aster may load their horror films with tiny details that reward repeat viewings, Eggers opts for rich, immersive period detail that resonates the first time around. Egger’s first three films — The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman — are ones that could never be mistaken as the work of anyone else. No other modern filmmaker commits as fully to an accurate period setting and unflinching thrills.

Nosferatu, Eggers’ fourth feature at the helm, may well be his most impressive yet. It seems poised to be his most widely seen work, with distributor Focus Features giving it a wide release on Christmas Day, a robust marketing budget, and an A24-like profile on the Internet, complete with inspired merchandise like a $20,000 full-size replica sarcophagus bed.

Fortunately, Eggers’ film justifies that kind of hype and backing. According to Letterboxd, Nosferatu stands as my #1 horror movie of the half-decade that draws to a close next week. It didn’t immediately strike me as that on my first of two theatrical viewings, but only because its classification in a genre that relies heavily on convention, sequels, and remakes is not glaring. But, after two memorable watches, the designation fits and no other horror film in the decade that began with COVID has been as engrossing, cinematic, atmospheric, and complete.

Nosferatu‘s predictable omission from all but technical categories this awards season reflects poorly on award shows and not this film, which is among 2024’s most gripping and fulfilling.

On paper, perhaps this project inspired some doubt. As you likely know, F.W. Murnau’s silent Nosferatu is considered an early and enduring milestone in horror cinema. But it opened in Germany over 100 years ago, back in 1922. The unauthorized, unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula was remade in 1979 by one of history’s great filmmaking duos, director Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski. Their Nosferatu the Vampyre, released in both German and English versions, is also regarded as landmark horror and it remains plenty accessible today.

Remaking classic films is almost always a recipe for disaster, especially in the horror genre. Try to find someone who speaks highly of Gus Van Sant’s Psycho (1998) or Gil Kenan’s Poltergeist (2015) or Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007). There are always contrarian opinions online, particularly when it comes to something as subjective as scares. But even when the box office is good (and it often isn’t on such audacious undertakings), eventually the wisdom prevails that the original movie is always better than its successors.

Originality is as prominent as any feature in Eggers’ oeuvre. The director may draw extensively upon past art and folklore, but no one would accuse of him of being derivative. With Nosferatu, he proves he is able to put his own stamp on something fairly well-known and we’re all the better for it. While it’d be sacrilege to claim that this 41-year-old New Englander has outdone Murnau and Herzog, it would also be a bold-faced lie to say Eggers’ Nosferatu is not the most watchable and resonant version of this vampire tale.

Essential to the appeal of this and Eggers’ previous films is the fact that a relatable human element is at the foundation of all effective thrills. Here, Eggers finds that angle in the Hutters, a young married couple living in Germany in the year 1838. Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) remains haunted by some trauma from her recent past. Her husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) is working hard as a real estate agent to better their lives.

Thomas’ latest assignment proves to be unusual and challenging. To close a sale of an old property, he must travel to the remote mountaintop Transylvanian castle of the mysterious and eccentric Count Orlok. You don’t need me to tell you what kind of fellow this Orlok (played by an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgård) is. Perpetually cloaked in darkness, the count commands fear with his impossibly long, sharp fingers, unsettling deep voice, bushy mustache, and otherworldly physicality. What initially seems like an annoying few days away from his wife turns into something more ominous, as Thomas finds himself tormented by realistic nightmares, rats, and a growing threat of grave danger.

Back home, Ellen wrestles with hysteria, having a unique personal connection to her husband’s seemingly unorthodox real estate sale. Her worsening state upsets her closest friend Anna (Emma Corrin) and Anna’s well-to-do husband (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who consults a doctor (Eggers staple Ralph Ineson), whose one solid instinct among laughably dubious period diagnoses is to summon his disgraced old professor Von Franz (a delightful as ever Willem Dafoe), whose belief in the occult may prove especially relevant.

So many horror movies focus on the moment. Jump scares, twists, creative carnage. By contrast, Eggers always takes a big picture view, dedicating himself to creating, sustaining, and developing an atmosphere of unease. It was that atmosphere that distinguished The Lighthouse, the black and white two-hander that prior to this was unquestionably his best film. Nosferatu similarly disarms with its own intoxicating ambience, this time bringing Eggers’ terrific cinematic sensibilities to something in theory at least with mainstream appeal and ambitions. Like Eggers’ other work, this is a brutal and unflinching film.

It also does not compromise on setting, with the director characteristically injecting the story with an abundance of specific detail that only extensive research could unearth. There are some subtitles, which raised awareness that the film was being matted to a wider aspect ratio than its intended 1.66:1 at my public screening, an issue that was gladly corrected before the halfway mark. Everyone here commits to the dialogue, costuming, and mannerisms that sell the period setting.

Nosferatu may boast some modern-day star power and its budget (a reported $50 M) is much closer to The Northman‘s $70ish million than any of Eggers’ other film. But no one is selling out or sacrificing integrity here. It’s especially impressive that Focus has retained its belief in Eggers’ abilities even after losing some money on The Northman. Christmas openings are often claimed by spectacular fantasies, broadly appealing animated films, and well-made smaller films that will take their time to expand on acclaim and buzz. Focus and, by extension, parent company NBC Universal ignore the historical trends and numbers. Nosferatu is a good, wintry thriller that arrives exactly when it should. And though it doesn’t make for feel-good family viewing over the holidays the way that unlikely producer Chris Columbus’ behemothic 1990s and early 2000s hits did, well that’s apparently fine too. Judging by the extremely well-attended barely advance screening on the night before Christmas Eve, this will nonetheless find an audience and one that will thoroughly appreciate the dark, spooky presentation.

A movie that can immerse you so thoroughly that the phrase “nepo baby” sometimes leaves your mind while Lily-Rose Depp is in the foreground is no minor achievement. It is a shame that seemingly nothing other than some age-old genre prejudices will keep this from being recognized as one of the best films of 2024. While its technical brilliance may be too much for the Academy to altogether ignore (even The Lighthouse drew a Best Cinematography nomination at the Oscars), it deserves serious consideration all around. For all we know, this could be the best vehicle for giving Dafoe the Oscar he should have won nearly forty years ago. The actor’s legend keeps on growing with his enduring relevance and his willingness to keep showing up for talented oddballs like Eggers and Yorgos Lanthimos.