Nosferatu

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name, which was inspired by/adapted from Bram Stoker's Dracula. In this film, Ellen Hutter finds herself plagued by an undying man who will bring ruin to London until the pair fulfil their desire for one another.

I don't think you can adapt the Nosferatu story much better than this. The film ties itself deeply to Ellen, how she was sexually assaulted at a young age, the internalised shame she carries from this and her sexual appetites that she is growing into depicted as both monstrous and frightening. The horror of this film is foreboding, the sense of something coming. A dark, lustful thing that destroys and wishes to ravage Ellen. We get to see a haunted Ellen wrestle with two sides of herself, the woman who wishes for the love her life holds and the one who teeters upon being consumed by this darkness. It is an interesting conflict externalised by Ellen's moments of possession, but also the way the setting of London descends and steadily becomes more depraved and sick. While a more minor harbinger, I point to Knock, who starts as the head of a property business and ends the film in a coffin dreaming himself the King of Rats. I liked the idea of the more noble love story in Thomas and Ellen versus the darker relationship of Ellen and Orlok. Watching Thomas first struggle his way to meeting and working with Orlok, fearing him and attempting to kill him was a wild act of repulsion; but as Thomas comes to fight for Ellen more on his return to London we see them both champion their love for one another. Ellen facing the darkness and choosing not to be consumed by it but to triumph over it makes for a tragic but powerful ending. A young woman consumed by the wrongs done to her, but defeating this selfsame darkness on her own terms.

Robert Eggers' has improved more and more with his style as his career has progressed. I think this might simply be his most potent film to look at yet; the visuals are unreal. Thomas' journey to Count Orlok's castle is an intrepid feast for the eyes, the crossroads shot is remarkable. I love how this film blacks with the blacks and the whites, it makes shadows and silhouettes into moments of real artistic expression. I also thought the visual effects where applicable in this film looked quite clean, I think to moments like the wolves or the effects enhancement on Orlok's form. Robin Carolan is gonna be really busy after this one, he should be composing forever and ever. The film doesn't build with such rich tension without the incredible tracks Carolan weaves through here.

Lily-Rose Depp, who played Ellen Hutter, gives one of her finest performances to date; I was most impressed by her physical performance and how she depicts a character ravaged by possession. Nicholas Hoult, who played Thomas Hutter, is entirely phenomenal as this steadfast and noble husband; Hoult is really showing a range here of a man displaying absolute terror right through to incredible feats of bravery. Willem Dafoe, who played Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz, immediately embodies this mysterious yet goodly man of wisdom; Dafoe shines in this as a master of the occult and any scenes he shared with Depp were great emotional beats. Ralph Ineson, who played Dr. Wilhelm Sievers, is a very stoic and pragmatic figure; Ineson's role teeters on what he knows as fact and the mystery of the occult world. Simon McBurney, who played Knock, really lays it all out there for Nosferatu; McBurney delivers a man who appears of good station and descends into raving madness.

However, the best performance came from Bill Skarsgård, who played Count Orlok. It is very interesting to watch Skarsgård disappear into these monstrous roles; I think of his infamous portrayal of Pennywise immediately. But this is a role that shows how he has grown as a performer, it is a very grounded creature that still feels ancient, mystical and cursed. Orlok's voice is a distinctive heavy accent, lost under a gasping drawl. Skarsgård's character sounds extremely powerful and he holds himself as such to, there is a blazing intensity in his expressions that will not leave you. Any time he acts across from Depp it feels like you are watching two people who lust and hate each other circling, either longing to embrace or to choke the life from one another. Skarsgård breathes very real longing into this rotting vampire, he is a horrific creation that will set the bar for horror in 2025.

I have never been a great fan of Robert Eggers, his directed works have never particularly impressed me (though The Northman was decent). I find he muddles around in style in a few ways; the one I can never quite cope with is his depiction of the perverse. An Eggers production always tries to push the limit in regards to sex, gore or perturbing actions. Nosferatu is probably the tamest one we have had so far, but it doesn't mean the film doesn't cross the line in a few odd scenes to being unnecessarily unpleasant.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Friedrich Harding, feels a little lost in this production; I never felt particularly immersed by Taylor-Johnson and he seems to struggle with his place in such a serious period horror. Emma Corrin, who played Anna Harding, is really lost in the crowd with this one; Corrin feels an ill fit for the doting and meek housewife.

I am delighted to have finally found an Eggers' film that I really connect with and adore. I would give Nosferatu an 8/10.