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A loose adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s classic 1922 silent filmof the same name, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu returns the vampire to its
original designation as a creature of death rather than a tragic, romantic
figure. The emasculated Dracula has been replaced by a monstrous entity that
can best be described as “appetite” or “hunger” and whose origins are demonic
in nature. This vampire is not a creature that sparkles in the sunlight and
whose kiss will be welcomed by anyone, pure of heart or otherwise.
Both Dracula (the novel) and Nosferatu (the
movie) are in the public domain, giving writer/director Eggers creative freedom
to mix elements from the latter (which provides the skeletal structure of the
storyline) with the former (which provides various details), while
incorporating his own quirks and innovations. Of course, Nosferatu was
an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, so the connections are unforced.
Unlike Werner Herzog, however, who remade Nosferatu in 1979, Eggers
retains the names given by Murnau to the characters instead of reverting them
to their Dracula analogs. As a result, the vampire is Count Orlock
rather than Count Dracula.
This is Eggers’ fourth film, following The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman. All have featured a distinctive
aesthetic – an eerie, ethereal quality that is an apt fit for Nosferatu,
especially when blended with the elements of German expressionism adapted to
pay homage to the original. (Shadow imagery recalls Murnau’s iconic shots.)
Although the film is technically in color, many scenes (especially those
involving dreams, nightmares, and non-corporeal encounters) are in
black-and-white and, when color is allowed, it is desaturated. On one occasion,
the monochromatic pallet is broken only by the orange-yellow of torches.
Nosferatu opens in Wisborg, Germany by introducing us
to estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) and his young wife, Ellen
(Lily-Rose Depp). Hutter is about to embark on a journey to the Carpathian
Mountains to sell a crumbling Wisborg mansion to the mysterious Count Orlock
(Bill Skarsgard). Superstitious natives warn Hutter not to travel to the
Count’s castle, but greed overcomes caution. Once there, after completing the
transaction, Hutter discovers Orlock’s true nature – that he is a creature of
the night who drinks blood and sleeps in a coffin – and nearly doesn’t survive
the ordeal. The Count, however, has a greater interest in Ellen, with whom he
shares a psychosexual connection, than Thomas. After drinking deeply from his
visitor’s blood, Orlock departs for Wisborg by ship. Ellen, meanwhile, is
experiencing insomnia and seizures. Her condition has become so serious that
the friends with whom she is staying, Friedrich and Anna Harding (Aaron
Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corin), and her doctor, Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph
Ineson), elect to consult the eccentric occult expert, Professor Albin Eberhart
Von Franz (Willem Dafoe). The professor, after examining Ellen, makes a
shocking assessment of her condition.
Nosferatu is more disturbing and unsettling than
traditionally frightening, although there are a couple of highly effective
jump-scares that put the viewer on edge. This is a dark movie in nearly every
way – from its look to its approach to its themes. Moments of levity are few
and far between; despite its Christmas Day release, there’s nothing festive to
be found in the film’s 132 minutes. Those who have seen Eggers’ other productions
will have an idea what to expect.
The cast features mostly established actors, several of whom
have developed reputations away from the shine of Hollywood’s blockbuster
spotlight. Bill Skarsgard, perhaps the closest thing modern cinema has to Lon
Chaney Sr. (“The Man of 1000 Faces”) once again occupies a character buried
under enough prosthetics to obscure his features. The most notable thing about
Skarsgard’s portrayal may be his voice – deep, gravelly, and sinister. His
physical appearance, rarely shown out of shadows or in good light, is an
amalgamation of Max Schreck’s version of Orlock and a corpse-like resurrection
of Vlad the Impaler. Though Skarsgard has the showiest role, his ferocity is
matched (and perhaps exceeded) by that of Lily-Rose Depp, who appears to have
been born to play this part. A perfect match for Ellen’s serene beauty, Depp
leans into the physicality of her role, which requires bouts of hysteria and
seizures that occasionally recall Linda Blair in The Exorcist. She, even
more than Skarsgard, rivets the viewer’s attention.
Supporting performers include Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the
shipbuilder who takes in Ellen while Thomas is in Transylvania, Emma Corrin as
Ellen’s best friend, and Willem Dafoe as the movie’s version of Van Helsing,
whose role is more about exposition than plot advancement. In recent years, the
prolific Dafoe has mixed indie work with blockbuster appearances, collaborating
with the likes of Wes Anderson, Sean Baker, Gorthos Lanthimos, and Eggers
(having appeared in three of the director’s four movies). He also once played
Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire.
Old-school vampire aficionados will find in Orlock a
nightmarish creature who brings a few new wrinkles to the traditional
Dracula-based type – notably, the concept that he is the embodiment of a demon
and that he and Ellen have a long-standing psychic connection that dates back
to when she was a child. Like the Murnau version, the relationship between
these two characters forms the backbone of the story and Orlock’s obsession
with Ellen becomes his weakness. Eggers delves more deeply into this, emphasizing
this different interpretation of what it means to be a vampire in the most
obvious deviation from Stoker’s novel. And, although religious iconographic is
not entirely absent, its importance is diminished.
Although Nosferatu may be too hypnotic and moody to
appeal to many of the younger horror generation’s adherents, it contains enough
instances of visceral bloodiness (including a scene in which a character bites off
a bird’s head) to generate shock and revulsion. With its striking images,
pervasive atmosphere, and incessant sense of dread, Nosferatu leaves an
impression that proves hard to shake.
Nosferatu (United States, 2024)
