It may have gotten trampled in the rush for Oscar nominations, but Robert Eggersβ βNosferatuβ is a chilling journey that has plenty of moments that will make you jump.
Taking F.W. Murnauβs film and twisting it ever-so-slightly, Eggers finds his groove in a highly gothic world. His vampire β Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) β is as creepy as they get, particularly since heβs kept in the shadows throughout much of the film.
We enter his world through a real estate agent (Nicholas Hoult) who is looking for a listing. Little does he know, though, that Orlok is interested in his wife (Lily-Rose Depp).
Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in "Nosferatu."
In case your sense of history is a little hazy, Orlok (or βNosferatuβ) is Murnauβs take on Dracula. Because he didnβt want to get involved with the creatorβs representatives, the director devised his own vampire and came away with a cinematic classic. His βNosferatuβ introduced plenty of film techniques. A lawsuit with Bram Stokerβs relatives resulted and Murnau was ordered to destroy prints of the film. Luckily, some survived, prompting other remakes and now, this one.
Because Eggers has mastered the art of stealth drama (his βThe Lighthouseβ is a classic example), heβs the man most likely to take this on. Using familiar faces (Willem Dafoe, for example) in key roles helps lift the filmβs status. This isnβt just any remake. Itβs a second take that uses the bones of Murnauβs story and adds its own flesh.
Nicholas Hoult stars as Thomas Hutter in director Robert Eggersβ "Nosferatu."
Rats pouring out of the streets suggest something is afoot in the 19th-century German town. A series of deaths points to a plague but then thereβs a connection to Orlok that lifts them onto the plain of βplague.β
All sorts of speculation emerges until we see the vampire in play with Deppβs Ellen Hutter. Eggers uses sound effects to heighten the moment and gives Skarsgard camera angles that add to his performance. Unlike other horror films released this year, βNosferatuβ plays on the possibility, not the probability. That makes moments heart-pounding and, yes, frightening.
While some characters are mere diversions, the three main ones get all the time they need to drive home the, um, point.
βNosferatuβ is easily the scariest film of the year and yet another milestone for Eggers. He knows cinema and heβs not afraid to make it a little bit better.
