Nosferatu

Do you Nosferatu?

When F.W. Murnau adapted Dracula into Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, he did so without the permission of the Stoker estate. As such, the estate tried to sue the film out of existence, and they almost succeeded. A few copies survived, and thus, movie fans can still watch it to this day. 

Now, anybody can make Dracula movies thanks to the public domain. They can even remake Nosferatu, which is what Robert Eggers did with his fourth feature film. Let's see what this Nosferatu is all about, shall we?

It’s 1838 in Wisborg, Germany. Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) has been haunted by nightmares ever since the night she prayed for a soulmate. These nightmares persist even after she married her husband, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), an up-and-coming solicitor. One day, Thomas’s employer, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney), sends him to Transylvania to close a real-estate purchase by the reclusive Count Orlok. Ellen doesn’t want him to go, but he does, and that’s when things go wrong.

Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), of course, is a vampire; some folks call them Nosferatu. Anyway, Orlok ships off to Wisborg after he sees Ellen’s picture in Thomas’s locket. His impending arrival drives Ellen and Knock insane, which attracts the attention of Dr. Sievers (Ralph Ineson) and his eccentric mentor, Prof. Von Franz (Willem Dafoe). Meanwhile, Thomas races back to Wisborg to thwart the undead villain. But it’s Ellen who has to thwart Orlok with the ultimate sacrifice.

You’ll hear Orlok long before you see him, and already, you’ll be intimidated by his booming, unearthly voice. Trust me, nothing he does will assuage your nerves. You’ll have a hard time believing that it is Skarsgård once you hear Orlok, and you’ll have a harder time believing it once you see him. Imagine a zombified Rasputin, rather than the rat-like ghoul immortalized by Max Schreck a century ago, and you get this Count Orlok. He is indeed played by the same actor who previously played Pennywise. The Oscar-shortlisted makeup team deserves all the praise coming their way. The same goes for Linda Muir, the costume designer, for his impressive attire.

Dafoe, who previously played Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire, goes all out as the eccentric Van Franz, especially when he burns Orlok’s crypt in the finale. We still listen when he calmly warns the others of the undead dangers they face. McBurney plays Herr Knock as perhaps the most unnerving variant of Renfield to date. Hoult, who actually played Renfield last year, is a compelling hero as Thomas. We’re on edge with him when he’s kept prisoner in Castle Orlok, and later, when he barely escapes with his life. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin are also pretty good as Friedrich and Anna Harding, the Hutters’ best friends and eventual victims of Orlok. Friedrich is even pitiable when he becomes a massive jerk at the end.

But I’m sure all eyes will be on Depp. Ellen frequently convulses under Orlok’s influence; one particularly disturbing instance is during a heated argument with Thomas. It’s equally disturbing to see her vividly describe one such nightmare to Thomas early on. That nightmare, in which she happily marries the Grim Reaper, perfectly encapsulates her relationship with Orlok. She gets some moments of happiness with Thomas, their cat, and the Harding family, so it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s both satisfying and tragic when she makes her ultimate sacrifice.

This is a technically outstanding horror film. The editor, Louise Ford, gives us plenty of scares and strangeness. At one point, Thomas visits a village full of wary villagers who later have a late-night staking. The next morning, they’re all gone. The driver-less carriage that takes him to Castle Orlok is perfectly eerie. In fact, all the sets designed by Craig Lathrop are all spectacularly creepy. The scenery itself, as photographed by Jarin Blaschke, is exquisite. As far as visual effects are concerned, none are more instantly iconic than the shadow of Orlok’s hand reaching over Wisborg. There’s also some excellent sound design, along with an also Oscar-shortlisted score by Robin Coralan that perfectly mixes melancholy with dread. 

So, as the days grow colder and darker, what better way to pass the time with a good horror movie? Submitted for your approval, this unforgettably gruesome remake of Nosferatu. The little changes Eggers makes to the template it borrowed from Murnau and Stoker help to make this a masterful adaptation. I am also told Eggers' films are historically faithful to their time periods, so I imagine historians will get a kick out of this one, too. Dare you enter Transylvania once again? If not, I can recommend a few family-friendlier films. I'll let you decide ...

And remember, Keep Circulating the Tapes.