What I was hoping for when I went to see Nosferatu was a dark Gothic film with some engaging performances. Robert Eggers typically keeps me entertained and the cast had some excellent choices so I was tentatively excited. After watching the film, I found it exactly as I hoped, an atmospheric gothic film with excellent performances, nuanced writing that taps into the ideas inherent in Dracula and the original Nosferatu film. 

Nosferatu is a gothic horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers, a remake of F. W. Murnau‘s 1922 silent film Nosferatu, itself inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. In the film, a young girl Ellen prays for solace from loneliness and her plea is answered by a mysterious creature who attacks her and leaves her convulsing. Years later, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) lives in the town of Wisborg, Germany with her husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), a solicitor and estate agent. Thomas accepts a strange commission given to him by his employer Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) from Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to sell his estate and help him obtain a home in Wisborg. Ellen begs him not to go but the money is enough inducement. He leaves Ellen with his friend Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his wife Anna (Emma Corrin). After traveling to the Carpathian Mountains, Thomas experiences strange events with the Count and is left for dead as the Count travels by ship to Wisborg. Ellen begins having night attacks. Unable to cure her, her doctor brings in his mentor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) who believes her difficulties lie in the occult. As the town begins being attacked by plague carried by rats and Thomas returns to her, Ellen must determine what to sacrifice in order to save the town and the ones she loves. 

The writing truly plays with many of the Gothic ideals, including the idea of temptation and the dark impulses. In the story, Ellen is the central point of the story, both in her sacrifices and her ordeals, the focus of Count Orlok and his desires as she must decide if she will succumb to the monster or stay with her husband who she loves. The writing uses a lot of imagery such as shadows, crosses and blood to convey the ideas of darkness and plague. I especially like the concept that Ellen must fight to be believed, an idea that carries over to modern society. It is those ideas about femininity and the power of women that makes the story compelling.

I love how the atmosphere is set with dark shadows and half seen creatures. The scenes between Thomas and Count Orlok are especially menacing. The scenes as Ellen struggles with her night visitations create a sense of despair and desperation. There are moments in the movie that are foreshadowed in early scenes and layers of emotion in the performances.

Lily-Rose Depp’s performance is the highlight of the film as the focus is on her for most of the movie. While she starts out a bit wooden, it feels appropriate to her emotional state. And her performance becomes more emotional and impassioned as the film progresses. Nicholas Hoult is outstanding as Thomas, playing his character as kind but determined even as he is overcome by Count Orlok. Bill Skarsgård is brilliant as Count Orlok, menacing and dark in his performance. Willem Dafoe is amazing as Von Franz, embracing his character’s eccentricities and giving us a performance that highlights Ellen’s choices. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin give emotional and passionate performances. 

One element to remember is that Gothic films can be slow to build and while this story is engaging and the performances are emotional, the story is longer and slow to build. But the horror elements add to the atmosphere and create a dark story that is worth the slower beginning. 

If you like vampire films, especially dark, atmospheric gothic movies, this film is for you. It has excellent performances, delves into the vampire legend in interesting ways but still remakes Nosferatu in a respectful way, embracing the beauty of the original with menacing imagery and a haunting story. 

Rating: 4 out of 5 rats

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