Published January 27, 2025
BY AVERY PALSHAW
A dark and unsettling horror movie, “Nosferatu,” directed by Robert Eggers, retells the classic vampire story, but falls short in delivering a plot that leaves one sitting at the edge of their seat.
This gruesome film highlights a young woman named Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who has been plagued by disturbing dreams since childhood. Only when her husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), an estate agent, travels to Transylvania to meet with a mysterious client do Ellen’s visions worsen. In her husband’s absence, Ellen stays with close friends, but comes to realize that this evil presence is infatuated with her and refuses to let anyone get in the way of that.
(courtesy of FOCUS FEATURES)
As far as cinematography goes, the film is shot beautifully in Prague with realistic sets and blue filters that encapsulate the dark and disturbing nature of the little German town where Ellen resides. In an age where the actual performance is often an afterthought in movies, the actors of “Nosferatu,” particularly Depp and Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, are convincing in their roles.
While the film for the most part remains true to the 1897 Gothic novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, it certainly is not for everyone, and its mature themes and dialogue are not meant for a younger audience.
“Nosferatu” is also set in the 1830s, so some of the dialogue can be difficult to follow at times, but it is commendable that Eggers chose to write such a compelling script. That being said, the murmuring and thick European accent of Bill Skarsgård’s character, Count Orlok, is nearly impossible to understand. For spectators watching from home, I would advise they turn on subtitles.
Another place where “Nosferatu” falls short is that it’s advertised as a horror movie, but it’s not particularly scary. Yes, there are jump scares here and there, but a true horror should have viewers peering through their fingers while they watch, whereas this one simply leaves viewers alarmed and frankly disgusted.
An incredibly odd movie with plot twists and maddened main characters, “Nosferatu” can most closely be compared to “The Witch,” another Eggers movie, or Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn.”
For those that enjoy gazing uncomfortably at a movie screen for two hours and feeling utterly perplexed by what they have just witnessed, “Nosferatu” might be a perfect fit. It’s definitely not the sort of film one takes the family to–or anyone for that matter–on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Whether it be the gory elements of the film or the hard-to-follow script, Eggers may have missed the mark with “Nosferatu,” but it can be respected on an artistic level.
5/10
