Nosferatu is a New Take on an Old Tale
A symphony of horror
4/5 stars
Few stories have had more cinematic adaptations than Bram Stoker's Dracula, but the first and still one of the best is F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu. It seemed natural that Robert Eggers, one of the best horror directors working today, would take a crack at it, but the question is: how can he differentiate from Murnau's 1922 classic that was already remade once in 1979 by Werner Herzog? He does with his own dazzling visual style and mastery of period-accurate details, as well as some committed performances.
In Germany in 1838, young Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to the Carpathian Mountains to finalize a land deal with the mysterious Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgard). The locals all fear the count and Hutter soon realizes why as Orlock keeps him trapped in his castle and heads to Germany with his heart set on claiming Hutter's young bride Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) as his own.
Naturally, Eggers imbues this Gothic tale with an all-encompassing sense of dread thanks to his ingenious use of natural lighting, heavy shadows, and unsettling editing and sound effects. His other secret weapon is Skarsgard who, rather than mimic Max Schreck or Klaus Kinski, gives us his own unique take on the count. No tragic doomed romantic figure here. Skarsgard's Orlock is a monster through and through, and the film is all the better for it.
Sadly, all this visual splendor can't make up for a story that gives us no real surprises. It's the Dracula story all over again. It's disappointing for a director whose previous stories have been so refreshingly original, but when a film looks this good, we can forgive the predictable plot.
Written and directed by Robert Eggers // Inspired by the original screenplay by Henrik Galeen and the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker // Starring Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, Adela Hesova, Milena Konstantinova, and Willem Dafoe // Focus Features // 132 minutes // Rated R
