 Robert Eggers' gothic reimagining is visually stunning with intense performances but falls short of evoking genuine horror.
This highly anticipated remake of a century-old horror classic is uncharacteristic, and atmospheric but unfortunately leaves much to be desired. It’s unfortunate because it’s directed by one of the finest new, young directors to come out of the American film scene, Robert Eggers. Nosferatu seems like a peak project for him; a culmination of his career heretofore. It made perfect sense that the director of such modern horror classics as The Witch and The Lighthouse remade Nosferatu (1922), the gothic horror classic with some of the most iconic images in cinema. With such a solid setup, the expectations were high. But the movie delivers a weak experience.
Eggers’ now legendary gothic imagery is full-blown here. The sets artistically converge with the Czech Republican locations where the movie was filmed. The visual artistry in Eggers’ and his cinematographer Jarin Blaschke’s work has never been more exemplary. With such powerful images so carefully designed, anticipation was amped up to see Count Orlok/Nosferatu (Bill Skarsgard, lost in the darkness and heavy makeup). The movie is frightening due to the terrified faces of Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult, playing Ellen and Thomas Hutter respectively.
Thomas has been summoned to sell a large and abandoned property to an old Count living in Transylvania. It’s far from his home in Germany, but the commission is too enticing to dismiss. Thomas’ journey is full of nightmares and bad omens. When he reaches the Count’s castle, he is exhausted, glad that his ordeal has come to an end. Unbeknownst to him, it has just begun. Hoult is quite good as a guy frightened out of his wits and loyal to a fault.
Back home, Ellen stays with friends Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna (Emma Corrin) Harding while her nightmares lead to fits that resemble a demonic possession amplified as Thomas’ life gets in danger. Friends helping each other out is one thing, but taking care of Ellen as her condition worsens is the kind of responsibility that Friedrich is not prepared for.
On the other hand, Thomas’ boss Herr Knock is eating live animals and singing about his master’s arrival in town. Simon McBurney as Knock, has given a performance that will continue to terrify for years to come. Or at the very least, turn into a meme. He is hands-down the scariest thing in Nosferatu. Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers is another gem that dazzles unexpectedly. As Ellen’s bewildering episodes begin at night like clockwork, the good doctor suggests tying her to the bed if she gets too handful, a common practice followed by the medical fraternity of the time. When no other treatment is left beyond sedation, the doctor suggests getting a second opinion from the queer Prof. Von Franz (Willem Dafoe).
Having dabbled in the occult, Prof. Von Franz is sensitive to Ellen’s plight. Freidrich is troubled by Von Franz’s suggestions as they leave the realm of practicality and science; eventually being straight-up pissed off by the unwanted burden on his shoulders. Taylor-Johnson invokes a surprising level of sympathy as his plight continues to stack in a performance that gradually takes centre stage. In a role clearly written for Dafoe, he is delightful and daring. Is there nothing this man can’t do?
Anna, like a good friend tries to be supportive but, frankly, has never understood Ellen’s strangeness. You can’t blame her though as Ellen refrains from revealing the entire truth of her experience. The psychosexual nature of the relationship between Nosferatu and her muse is explored in great detail in this version of the movie. Here, the addictive hold of their relationship is a two-way street. But, it’s a relationship that abusive beyond comprehension. Deep gives a highly expressive performance that must have taken its toll.
As a movie that’s more about the people affected by the mystical entity than the entity itself, we barely see the title character. When the story doesn’t have the benefit of novelty, as a horror movie, a dreadful atmosphere is not enough to keep the audience on edge. The movie fails to infuse any emotion beyond mild intrigue. A more compelling rendition of the story is Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre.
Freidrich Harding – ‘I have not slept in days. My house has become a bedlam, and here I’ve been resummoned to this godforsaken habitation for this? Do not tell me you believe in such medieval devilry!’
Professor Von Franz – ‘I do not believe, I know! I have seen things in this world that would make Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother’s womb! We are not so enlightened as we are blinded by the gaseous light of science. I have wrestled with the Devil as Jacob wrestled the angel in Penuel, and I tell you that if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists! Meine Herren, we are here encountering the undead plague carrier, the Vampyr Nosferatu.’