“I am an appetite. Nothing more. O’er centuries, a loathsome beast, I lay within the darkest pit. ‘Til you did wake me, enchantress, and stir me from my grave.”
Last month, “Nosferatu” was unleashed into the world once again. The latest film from Robert Eggers “Nosferatu” is a remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film of the same name (with Max Schreck immortalizing the distinct look of Count Orlok) and is also the second remake of this unofficial adaptation after Werner Herzog’s atmospheric 1979 film “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” (featuring Klaus Kinski taking on the role of Orlok), with the names of the characters in that version reverted to those in the Bram Stoker novel.
“Nosferatu” follows Ellen Hutter (played by Lily-Rose Depp) as a recently married woman haunted by trauma endured by Count Orlok, a vampire who desires complete control over her. Her husband, an estate agent named Thomas Hutter (played by Nicholas Hoult), is sent by his agency to the castle where Orlok resides to sign papers on a new castle for his reclusive client – not knowing what awaits him.
As Ellen Hutter, Lily-Rose Depp delivers one of the best performances of 2024 with her facial expressions and body contortions emphasizing the cruel control of Orlok that her body and mind are under – especially in the terrifying and atmospheric opening sequence. The sheer intensity of her performance is reflected within a sequence in the second act, specifically with this line of dialogue: “Well, where is it? Your money? Your promotion? Your house? Where is that which is so precious to you?” – with her body frantically shaking as she delivers these lines.
Willem Dafoe delivers a good supporting performance as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz, a Swiss professor shunned by society due to his study of the occult and alchemy, who is called by Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) to try and help Ellen. Bill Skarsgård embodies the decaying depravity of Count Orlok, often coated in darkness and shadows with a deep voice that sounds as if it had emerged from the darkest depths of one’s being.
In his latest film, Robert Eggers crafts an interesting take on the vampire film, exploring themes of darker desires and trauma under a puritanical society. Like his other films, Eggers does extensive historical research into the time period and cultural aspects of this film, an element that is prevalent throughout his work from his 2015 feature-length directorial debut “The Witch” to 2019’s “The Lighthouse” – specifically with the regional dialect of the period in which these films take place. With “Nosferatu,” Eggers goes as far as recreating Dacian, an ancient dead language that was primarily spoken in Romania, for some of Orlok’s dialogue.
Jarin Blaschke, the cinematographer of the film and a frequent collaborator of Eggers, captures a plethora of great shots throughout “Nosferatu” (such as some of the shots of Orlok with his silhouette drowned in darkness). Among these shots, there is one in particular that stands out: A shot of Ellen in the third act of the film at the center of the frame with the bonnet she’s wearing resembling the halo of an angel in a stained glass image – symbolically representing Ellen as the savior or saint of this world ravaged by darkness and disease. The symbolism is also reflected in the line of dialogue that von Franz delivers to her: “In heathen times, you might have been a Great Priestess of Isis. Yet, in this strange and modern world, your purpose is of greater worth.”
“Nosferatu” submerges the viewer in a world of gothic horror drenched in an atmosphere only Robert Eggers can provide. With an outstanding leading performance from Lily-Rose Depp, brilliant prosthetics and makeup, excellent cinematography and a terrifying performance from Bill Skarsgård, the film throws the viewer into pure darkness which cinema needs more of today.
Succumb to the darkness. “Nosferatu” is now playing in theaters and is available to rent on Apple TV.
