What to Watch Verdict

I recognize Robert Eggers’ singular talent as a director, but Nosferatu’s highly stylized elements and performances kept me at a distance, an unfortunate recurring personal feeling with the directors’ work.

Pros

+
One of the most gorgeous and singular looking movies of the year
+
Bill Skarsgård and Willem Dafoe are excellent

Cons

-
The story drags a bit
-
Eggers’ highly stylized tendencies could present a barrier of entry for some

When I left the screening of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu I overheard a few other patrons talking about the movie. Many of them were going on effusively about it, reveling in its gothic delights. I listened with intent, to see if anyone said anything that I could find a point of contention with or find some semblance of common ground; but there wasn't much I could find. As I continued my way out of the movie theater I came to a simple conclusion — I am not a Robert Eggers fan.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Robert Eggers hater. I have seen all of his previous feature-length movies (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) and I fully recognize that he has a style and skill that makes him a true auteur, I just don’t find myself becoming fully enraptured by his movies. Whether that’s because of his movies’ overarching sense of dread, the incredibly well-researched and written but at times hard-to-follow dialogue or what have you. I can see the impressive work he has put on screen but can't say I truly loved any of his movies.

The case proves true for Nosferatu, a remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic of the same name, itself an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The movie is as gorgeous as any I’ve seen in 2024, with Eggers truly putting his own unique stamp on it from the design of the villainous Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) and accentuating the themes and scares of the story. For me it was all a bit too much, but it could be just right for fans of Eggers and horror in general.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it focuses on Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) and Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), a newly married couple. Thomas is tasked by his work to travel to a distant land and finalize a real-estate deal with the "eccentric" Count Orlok. Despite his wife’s protests, Thomas goes. However, they both become snared in Orlok’s evil intentions, as a mysterious connection exists between Orlok and Ellen that will result in devastating horrors if they cannot stop him.

Skarsgård is no stranger to playing otherworldly monsters, having played Pennywise in the recent It movies. He has an incredible skill for bringing these frightening creatures to life. While the makeup is certainly a factor, the actor absolutely deserves credit, as his menace pierces through the screen as Orlok even though we rarely see him as more than a shadowy figure.

As for the rest of the cast, Willem Dafoe brings a blast of energy to the movie as Professor von Franz, an expert in the occult who helps the main characters as they attempt to figure out a way to defeat Orlok. Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Simon McBurney are all solid; Emma Corrin and Ralph Ineson are fine, but not given a lot to work with.

The most interesting performance belongs to Lily-Rose Depp, which I found to be a bit inconsistent, swinging back between a few highs and lows. To be fair though, her role has a high degree of difficulty as she has to bounce back and forth from sheer madness to a more traditional 19th century wife, so it would not have been an easy task for any one.

Fair or not, the entire time watching the movie I couldn’t help but think of the original Nosferatu (which is available to watch for free on Tubi), comparing what Eggers chose to do versus the work from Murnau that I know so well. In just about every case I prefer the original, as a greater focus on Ellen’s fits of madness, the extended sequences (the 2024 version is a good 40 minutes longer than the original) and the gore didn't add enough to the classic story.

I'm not going to argue with anyone who sees and loves Nosferatu, I can definitely understand where they may be coming from. But at the end of the day, it’s simply not a movie that I’m going to be praising or dying to watch again. After seeing all four of Eggers’ movies, while I recognize the talent and hope he continues making interesting movies, I think my personal excitement for them will be muted from here on out.

Nosferatu releases exclusively in movie theaters on December 25 in the US; it premieres January 3, 2025, in the UK.