Nosferatu (M)
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård
Review by: Julian Wright
After the character has been dormant for many years, Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) brings the classic 1922 silent film Nosferatu, based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, back to the big screen.
In Germany, 1838, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) heads to a creepy castle in Transylvania, to finalise a property sale with the reclusive occupant Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård).
While on his work trip, Thomas encounters some weird goings-on.
The trip is against the warnings of his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who has a strange connection to the Count, and takes a turn for the worst while her husband is in his company.
Eggers does a fantastic job of building a sense of dread before we meet the Count, delivering a sumptuous and darkly gothic version dripping in chilly atmosphere, in his attempt to make vampires scary again.
Skarsgård is wonderfully creepy as the Count, getting under our skin yet again, proving his turn as Pennywise in the It films was no fluke.
Depp is also great, but the film missteps when her character starts to head down a path that is far too reminiscent of The Exorcist – I think we have seen enough of young women convulsing and contorting to last a lifetime.
While the deliberate leisurely pace allows us to bathe in the rich atmospherics and appreciate each gorgeously captured shot, it could prove to be a touch too sluggish for some.
Eggers’ Nosferatu wont induce any sweaty palms or have you reaching for the garlic, but this is a creepy re-imagining that has been worth the long wait.
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