REVIEW: NOSFERATU
The story of Dracula by Bram Stoker has been the archetype for horror for over a century. The story that is steeped in Romanian and Balkan folklore and history has been haunted people for generations. The story of Dracula is based off of the Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes/Dracul who was said to be a vampire. This idea was based off of Ottoman accounts of his cruelty in war and tactics in torture. The silent film Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony in Horror), was one of the first films to show case a vampire and has set the bar in cinematic horror. Robert Eggers created cinematic magic. Read on to find out why!
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2025 started off with a bang. With not even a full month in, there has been a multitude of current events in both the global stage and society that have been very brow raising to say the least. Once item that remains the same year after year is Hollywood’s lackluster movies.
Time and time again we see how Hollywood has lost their creativity and have gone way to remakes of classic movies. Whether if it’s a reimagining or just a direct copy of a classic movie or story, it shows that we have lost the way for new ways to captivate and tell original stories. That could not be far enough from the truth for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Eggers who is a personal favorite director mine who is known for his original works they are not only amazing stories, but truly incredibly shot. Whether it be his debut film “The Witch” or the amazingly stylized film “The Lighthouse”, he makes horror more unsettling than just jump scares and cheap thrills.
Nosferatu (Romanian for vampire), is something that came out as something different from Eggers who is not known for remakes of films. The story’s premise without giving spoilers is about a young man named Thomas Hutter who travels to Transylvania to help a man named Count Orlok buy real estate in Germany. Blinded by potential to make more money and climb the ranks at his job, he does not see the very sinister plan Count Orlok has for him and everyone he knows and loves.
The original film for Nosferatu came out in 1922 and was a pioneer in German expressionist film. The remake made by Eggers is an incredible retelling of the original story (which is technically a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula) that has its’ own truly one of a kind style. From the incredibly accurate period wardrobes, to the jaw dropping and gorgeous cinematography, this is a film you almost need to see in film. With a great ensemble cast of Nicholas Holt, Lily Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Bill Skarsgård as the title antagonist Count Orlok the Nosferatu. Even with the little over 2 hour run time, this film keeps you captivated with the Eggers brand of film. I give this movie a 9.5/10, due to this being a near perfect film, with my only qualms that last act, there were things I felt were unsaid or unresolved, but that is more than likely done for a reason.
