The vampire remake by Robert Eggers makes your blood run cold

(NEXSTAR) – It’s been 102 years since FW Murnau’s silent horror masterpiece “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” hit theaters – and helped define the vampire genre with conventions that endure to this day. While the story is old and you’re probably somewhat familiar with some of it, horror author Robert Eggers’ latest incarnation of Nosferatu proves that the horrors lurking in this dark and atmospheric tale continue to speak to our deepest fears.

Opening on Christmas Day, Eggers’ “Nosferatu” stars Nicholas Hoult (“Juror No. 2”) as recently married real estate agent Thomas Hutter, who is given an undesirable task: travel to Transylvania and sell an estate to the mysterious and decrepit Count Orlok ( Bill Skarsgård), who lives in a ruined castle surrounded by wild wolves and a misty labyrinth of mountain paths.

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To achieve this, Hutter leaves behind his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who has recently been plagued by the phantasmagoric dreams she has had throughout her life. Ellen’s dreams, in which she happily marries a dark figure she calls “Death,” seem prophetic to her, even though everyone in her life dismisses her worries as “hysteria” or “melancholy.” Nevertheless, Ellen feels the familiar, disembodied voice calling to her from the distance.

In Count Orlok’s dilapidated castle, Thomas slowly learns the truth about the count: Spoiler – he is a vampire. Further spoiler: He is the mysterious spirit who calls Ellen. Thomas escapes the gloomy fortress, but will he make it home before Orlok – who now knows where Ellen is – comes to claim his bride?

One of the film’s greatest strengths are its acting performances, particularly those of Skarsgård and Depp. It’s no big surprise that Skarsgård, the man behind our newest Pennywise the Dancing Clown, stands out as another creature of darkness. As Orlok, a shockingly thin and heavily prosthetic Skarsgård frightens in every scene with both his physicality and his gravelly, throaty voice, which, according to Entertainment Weekly, was a full octave lower than his actual voice. Every time Orlok appears in the shadows, you will unconsciously hold your breath as Skarsgård commands your gaze, even though you would like to look away.

Depp, meanwhile, has the biggest star role in the film. Even though Ellen is locked in rooms or relegated to bed to rest, that shouldn’t give the impression that Depp doesn’t have much to do. As the mental and emotional torture she experiences at the hands of her vampire lover increases, in several moments Depp transforms into something sinister and cunning, and Depp devotes her body entirely to possession. It’s electrifying to see this relative newcomer (her most notable role was on HBO’s The Idol last year) take on a role so ugly and intense, as often baffling as it is repulsive.

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When Orlok arrives in the fictional Germanic village of Wisborg, he brings with him a scourge of plague-carrying rodents and the town is ravaged by disease. The threat of infection is deeply rooted in the Nosferatu story, and as we are only a few years away from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of a plague seems all the more real. Eggers devotes several scenes to the rats and the people they infect, and for many these elements may be among the most unsettling in the entire film.

Elsewhere, Orlok itself begins to infect the city – giving Eggers, along with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, production designer Craig Lathrop and the film’s art department, even more opportunities to present some of the best imagery and world-building we’ve seen this year . In addition to the eerie creepiness of Orlok’s castle and the surrounding wilderness, Eggers and company give Wisborg’s images a quaint but incredibly tangible old German town. Many of the film’s visual elements also seem to echo the distinctive visual style of Murnau’s 1922 film without ever drawing attention or seeming like a copy. Scene after scene there is a visual feast on screen, be it in aerial shots over the city or in gloomy crypts below, Eggers’ film is endlessly breathtaking.

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The film also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Kraven the Hunter”) and former Eggers collaborator Willem DaFoe (“The Lighthouse”), both of whom perfect their smaller roles. As the skeptical Friedrich Harding, Taylor-Johnson is perhaps the “straight man” of the film, and the 34-year-old carries the role (and his 19th-century garb) well. Meanwhile, as a professor passionate about the occult, DaFoe gets another entry into the Willem DaFoe as a Looney Oddball Character canon (see also: Spider-Man (2002) and Poor Things (2023)) — you know that whenever DaFoe shows up in a movie in a costume or a wig, it’s always going to be a good time.

“Nosferatu” also deserves praise for actually being scary. Without any jump scares, Eggers instead uses the masterful building of tension and unsettling foreboding that made films like “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse” the best horror films of their years. In addition to the fear of loss of bodily autonomy (Ellen), the fear of the inexplicable (Harding), and the fear of infection, “Nosferatu” presents a tragic backstory for Ellen, who, as we learn in the film’s first frame, has been called Als As a child, spirits accompanied her because she was so lonely. The ghost that called? You guessed it. It’s a tragic and real part of the story because loneliness, which we’ve probably all experienced, is its own kind of terror and can lead to inviting the wrong friends. In the film’s beautiful and grotesque final scene, Ellen finally makes the decision to regain her autonomy, and in the end we are left with the story of a woman’s triumph over evil.

Eggers’ “Nosferatu” is released on Christmas Day and also plays in the winter. It fits perfectly into the same spooky holiday sequence as “A Christmas Carol” and feels perfect for the season.

All in all, 2024 was a pretty solid year for movies and “Nosferatu” is among the best.

SCORE: ★★★★★

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