Nosferatu
Updated: Feb 23, 2025
Lily Rose Depp exorcizes a lascivious vampire in soul-disturbing horror Nosferatu.
In the town of Wisberg, Ellen Hutter is tormented by visions and nightmares of a monster coming to her at night, while dismissed as delusion and ill health by her husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and friend Friedrich (Aaron Taylor Johnson). Ellen is left alone with her premonitions after her husband must travel across the country to the dark castle of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) who demands housing close to the Hutter’s home.
It has been a while since genuine fear overtook me in a cinema, and Nosferatu scared the hell out of me from the get-go. Robert Eggers whose work I admire, has been creepy and unsettling in an unconventional stylised way, which is what makes me feel more at ease in the sense with the scares of his pictures, but Nosferatu is a full-blown horror ride of spine-tingling terror and fear that had me trapped. Eggers takes the infamous vampire tale to fanatical depths of utilising his hysterical obsession for detail with exceptionally gifted performances from Lily Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård. Eggers loves to engross into the darkness of his monsters and myths and he crafts an all-encompassing entrapment of pure evil in the shadowy presence of Count Orlok. The lighting perfectly captures the darkness and shadows of the castles, town, characters, with a distinct cold wintery colour that feels like an old-fashioned Dickensian ghost story. The feet of the world building is breath-taking and immersive, and the camera movement creeps between shots in trance like states of time and space. It’s very easily the culmination of Egger’s work so far, with satanic paranoia of the Witch (2015), the psychosexual madness of the Lighthouse (2019), and the barbaric violence and gore from The Northman (2022).
While mostly risen from the blueprints of Manu's silent classic film, Eggers dives much deeper into the folk lore with a miraculously fresh incarnation of Orlok. Nosferatu also features many homages and references to horror classics that I am sure Eggers has great affection for, specifically this vampire story becomes more like the Exorcist than Stoker’s Dracula. The connection between Ellen and Orlok becomes very much the same possession between Regen and Pazuzu. This is where I feel the film falters slightly, as Eggers is no stranger to mental demonic physical hysteria, but there are probably one to many of these scenes that rely on the characters screaming their heads off.
While it scares you to death with its blackening mood, you also must marvel at the technical craft, with a pitch perfect gothic aesthetic of smooth blues, and greys that look modern but feel classic at the same time. Craig Lathrop’s production design, Linda Muir’s costumes all feel of a piece but with a distinct flavour of Egger’s own world. Which comes to the incomparable creation of Orlok. Eggers wisely withholds much of Orlok’s appearance as the darkness conceals his body and movement. Orlok is the darkness, never have I seen a clear-cut creation of pure evil, there are no sides to this Dracula he is supreme beast from your worst nightmares. The voice work from Skarsgård is truly remarkable, the Count’s deep throated sound will send shivers with every word, with an echo that feels like it comes from the core of the earth. Nosferatu’s ear-piercing sound design is main asset of frights that jump out in full force against devilish aura of Orlok.
Lily Rose Depp’s physical performance is also something to behold as she backbones this possessive nightmare of Orlok with frenzied episodes with an innocent spirit. Depp’s committed and energetic effort is what makes these second side encounters deeply disturbing.
The narrative is built upon the mental torment of this heroin who is both the perpetrator and liberator of her curse, with a twisted lustful intent at the centre. Eggers doesn’t spell out any obvious message or commentary but leaves this cursed relationship down to the audience to interpret. Ellen’s relationship with Orlok is about the relationship with the darkness in herself and how confronting it is the only way to rid herself of it and her shame.
To decipher her disease comes in Willem Dafoe as the Van Helsing type Prof. Franz. Dafoe chews up the screen with his occult expertise which brings much suspense and hilarity altogether. The entire cast are all bringing their A-game having massive fun as they do it, especially Simon McBurney as the Count’s servant Knock.
Overcoming horror is what awaits you in the extraordinary rendition of Nosferatu.
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