Should I Watch..? 'Nosferatu' (2024)

Nosferatu is a dark fantasy horror film released in 2024 and was written and directed by Robert Eggers. It is a remake of the 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror, itself based on Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula and depicts the terror unleashed on an unassuming city in 19th century Germany by the arrival of an ancient, disfigured vampire. The film stars Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe. The film was a passion project for Eggers, who credits the original film for developing his interest in filmmaking and had been working on his remake since 2015. The film became the biggest success of Eggers' career to date with global takings in excess of $181 million. Critics also lauded for the film for its atmosphere, production and performances from the cast, especially Skarsgård and Depp and the film was also nominated for four Academy Awards as well.

In 1838, ambitious Thomas Hutter and his wife Ellen are recently married and living in the German coastal town of Wisburg. Determined to make a better life for himself and Ellen, Thomas accepts an unusual commission from his employ Herr Knock to journey to a remote area in the Carpathian Mountains in order to complete the sale of a rundown mansion in Wisburg to the reclusive Count Orlok. Despite Ellen's dire fears from a series of recurring nightmares, Thomas travels across Europe while Ellen stays with Thomas' wealthy colleague Friedrich Harding, his pregnant wife Anna and their two children.

Thomas eventually arrives at Orlok's ramshackle castle after being waylaid by superstitious villagers, who warn him not to go. Sure enough, Thomas is unsettled by the Count's behaviour and demeanour and soon falls in while staying at the castle, finding a number of small bites on his body. Meanwhile, in Wisburg, Ellen's night terrors begin again and she starts fitting and having seizures. Friedrich consults his physician Dr Sievers, who then consults a shunned and unconventional expert on the occult and his mentor Professor von Franz. To his horror, von Franz believes that Ellen is under the spell of some supernatural evil and even he isn't sure how to combat such a deadly threat...

As someone who has seen and admired the silent, German Expressionist classic for a number of years, I was sceptical that a remake was a good idea but damn, I love it when a film proves me wrong! This Nosferatu is both a remake and a remaster of the original, harking back to it in almost every scene. From the opening moments, where even the studio logos are in a deliberately archaic style, the film is loaded with Gothic atmosphere and an almost apocalyptic narrative that has obvious echoes of the recent pandemic. On screen, there is an admirable and lush attention to detail that really draws the viewer in. Take the street scenes with its cobbled stairways running at MC Escher-style angles, perfectly reminiscent of the original film's unusual look. In spite of the narrative and often oppressive lack of lighting, this is an easy film to watch.

The story doesn't offer much different to the actual Dracula novel, which is no surprise as the original Nosferatu essentially ripped it off anyway. But even after all this time, it still retains its power to send shivers down your spine. It's actually refreshing to find a film that brings as much of the book to the screen as this does as the film has all the creeping terror, insanity, sex and blood as fans would hope for. For a director so early into their career, Eggers is to be commended for producing a film that feels like a love letter to everything Stoker. You can feel his appreciation for the material.

I also have to commend the cast who deliver some truly remarkable performances. Skarsgård is unrecognisable as Orlok, buried beneath a literal tonne of prosthetics but still delivers a genuinely chilling turn that bears a few echoes of his equally disturbing performance as Pennywise from It. Dafoe's eccentric scientist, an obvious imitation of Van Helsing, is perhaps a little theatrical at times but I can forgive it but personally, the true star of the film is Depp who gives easily the best performance of her career. The film feels as though it is more focused on her story than that of her poor husband who first meets Orlok, which I liked and helped keep the story feeling fresh. Despite the age of the story, Ellen comes across as a more contemporary heroine and possibly the sanest character of the lot. But her ability to switch from crying, lonely wife to demented, twisted force of evil is honestly unnerving and perfectly suited to this wonderful revival of horror's first true superstar.

• The snow seen on screen is not CG but a practical effect, based on techniques used in the 1940s. Originally, filmmakers used snow candles to create the illusion of snow but these were banned on sets as they gave off toxic fumes so instead, crushed potato flakes were used.
• The voice that Skarsgård uses as Orlok is also not digitally produced. He actually spoke in a much lower tone than usual, using an opera singer and Mongolian throat singing to help develop it for the film. At the first table read of the script, both Skarsgård and Dafoe were shocked by Ineson's naturally low voice which caused both of them to start laughing.
• Much like his time on set as Pennywise in It, Skarsgård took time to crack jokes and lighten the mood in order for everyone to not get too intimidated by his presence. His preparation for the role was so intense that he claimed that it's the only role he's played that really scared him, promising never to play such an evil role again.
• The original Nosferatu was the subject of a lawsuit by the estate of Bram Stoker, who sued the filmmakers for copyright infringement. The judge ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed but fortunately, some copies of the film remained. It would go on to become one of the most important films of the era and helped to define vampire films and the wider lore in the century since.

It feels churlish to critique a film like this, which I enjoyed immensely but here we are. There were a number of issues that I did find, minor though they may be. I wasn't quite convinced by Hoult as Thomas Hutter, despite the conviction of his performance. He felt a bit too young and baby-faced in the role for me unlike Taylor-Johnson, who was no doubt assisted by a decent amount of facial hair. I also would have liked a little more exposition at times - I found myself wondering what the connection between Orlok and Ellen was as it wasn't explained all that well beyond an opening scene. I also wanted to see more of McBurney's terrifying performance as Knock, the film's Renfield-analogy, who also throws himself into the role with demented gusto.

It's worth noting that the film eschews modern horror's obsession with showing us the monster in full detail by keeping things deliberately dark. There are several scenes that are purposefully underlit and Skarsgård's repulsive appearance is largely kept off-screen, allowing the viewer's imagination to take over. I don't have an issue with this personally but some horror fans may be disappointed. But for every scene where the film utilises light and shadow in a way to remind viewers of the original, there is another shot which is just beautifully framed with a level of symmetry that Kubrick himself would appreciate. It's the perfect recipe for bringing a century-old classic bang up to date, combining its rather traditional narrative with modern filmmaking techniques and a contemporary take on a story most of its viewers will be overly familiar with.

It's been a long time since a film has impressed me as much as this, which is exactly what I want from a vampire film. It has all the blood, sex, revulsion, madness and all-encompassing chills a film like this should have, plus it pays homage to the original film with a genuine sense of love and reverence. It's films like this that make other vampire films feel clumsy and amateurish by comparison. Nosferatu may not be original but it is a classy and essential vampire film that deserved to be much more successful than it was. If you're into anything vampiric, you owe it to yourself to see this.

Great For: fans of vampire films or Dracula, goths, Lily-Rose Depp's career which should sky-rocket after this

Not So Great For: Skarsgård's attempt to avoid getting typecast as monsters, the easily spooked, partially-sighted viewers

Stoker's most famous creation has become one of its most popular characters in cinema history with possibly only Sherlock Holmes being depicted on screen more often. The first 'official' adaptation was actually based on a screenplay based on the novel but it gave us one of the more iconic performances as Bela Lugosi debuted in the title role of 1931's Dracula, a role he would struggle to escape from for the rest of his career. Perhaps the actor most associated with the role was Christopher Lee, whose trademark low voice was tailor-made for the character. He debuted in the role in 1958's Dracula and would continue to play the role a number of times until 1976. This film isn't even the first to remake F.W. Murnau's Expressionist icon as 1979 saw four Dracula films including Werner Herzog's Nosferatu The Vampyre with Klaus Kinski perfectly cast as Count Orlok. There are no shortage of Dracula films and certainly plenty of bad ones out there (looking at you, Dracula: Dead And Loving It) but I can honestly say that this Nosferatu is one of my favourites.

Eggers might not be a household name just yet but he has already carved quite a reputation as a filmmaker. Debuting as a feature film writer and director in 2015, The Witch stars Anya Taylor-Joy (who was also debuting) as an evil presence threatening a Puritan family in 17th century New England and was critically hailed as one of the best horror films of the 2010's. His next film was a bit more avant-garde, a monochromatic psychological drama called The Lighthouse with Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as two lighthouse keepers falling into madness. I am very much looking forward to his next film, due for release in 2026, which reunites Taylor-Johnson, Depp and Dafoe in a film tentatively called Werwulf. I sincerely hope that he finds the commercial success he deserves because he is one of the most intriguing and exciting filmmakers currently working.