Review: Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’ isn’t the faithful remake you might expect

Some movies are so revolutionary that they stand the test of time, inspiring cinema over a century after its original release. That’s certainly the case for 1922’s Nosferatu, which is getting a remake from Robert Eggers 102 years after its premiere.

The original black-and-white Nosferatu has shaped horror history and vampire mythology on a fundamental level. F.W. Murnau’s unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel created the definitive image of an animal-like vampire, gave the bloodsuckers their deadly sensitivity to sunlight, and even established the connection between these undead beings and plague animals, such as rats.

Nevertheless, as brilliant as Nosferatu might be, a German silent movie shot when cinema was still developing as a language isn’t the most accessible work of art to contemporary audiences. So, when news broke that the horror master Eggers would write and direct a new Nosferatu movie, it sounded like a dream (nightmare?) come true, despite Hollywood frequently mishandling horror remakes.

To put things into perspective, Hollywood doesn’t have a good track record of horror remakes, especially when the original work is a foreign film. Newer versions of cult classics tend to dilute their impact in the name of a broader commercial release or change too much of their core themes for an updated story that usually misses the mark.

For its first hour, Nosferatu sticks close to the original script, with Eggers mostly recreating the scenes that made the original a classic. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is sent by his eccentric real state boss, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney), to a remote location in Eastern Europe, where he is to meet with the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). The Count’s retirement plans include acquiring a property in Thomas’ hometown of Wisborg, and Thomas must close this profitable deal to impress his firm. Of course, Count Orlok’s plans are more nefarious, as the aristocrat is a living corpse revived by the devil himself to feast on the blood of the innocent.

Eggers is one of the best directors working today and each frame is filled with purpose. From object placements to the framing of characters in the background, each scene has been carefully deliberated over. However, this is ultimately a story we’ve seen unfold on screen dozens of times, as Dracula remains one of the most adapted books of all time. Unsurprisingly, the first half of the Nosferatu remake is all the better when Eggers deviates from the original to reveal more about the grim world Thomas inadvertently steps into, with a sequence focused on gypsy folklore an early highlight.

For the first time in the prolific partnership between cinematographer Jarin Blaschke and Eggers, some scenes feel excessively dark, following Hollywood’s current trend of dimming the lights a little too much. It’s easier to make Orlok crawl from the shadows when the screen is covered in darkness, and the limited visibility does wonders for specific movie moments. At other times, though, it’s simply distracting that you can’t quite see what’s happening. The disappointment is greater when we compare the remake to the original and realize that in 1922, the original movie solved the issue by adding a blue tint to its nocturnal scenes.

The second half of the Nosferatu remake vastly improves the experience as Eggers makes the inspired decision to bring back the Dracula aspects that were ignored by the original movie. The original Dracula is a monster tormented by the humanity he never got to shed, as love remains a shackle that binds him to his deadly destiny. In his turn, Count Orlock was designed as a monster stripped of all that’s human, an animalistic creature moved only by the desire to pervert all that’s sacred and pure. That’s why 1922’s Nosferatu remains so powerful, as it tears down the Gothic romance influences of the original novel in exchange for an evil that haunts the audience like few others can. Count Orlok is still pure evil in the remake, but now the monster is also moved by a profane version of love. These two overlapping ethos don’t always work in harmony, but when they do, Eggers’ latest becomes a sight to be seen.

At the center of it all is Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen Hutter, a wife deprived of her husband’s company and harrowed by disturbing visions. As in the original movie, Ellen’s fate is intertwined with Orlok’s. What seemed like chance in 1922 becomes providence in Eggers’ script. The ways these two characters dance around each other is the focal point of the remake’s second half, offering a distributing spectacle that repulses at the same time it seduces. If it works so well, that’s partly due to Depp’s Ellen, not just the best performance of her career but one of the finest of the year. Depp is enthralling, and the new Nosferatu stands out only when she becomes the leading character instead of her husband.

There’s nothing wrong with Hoult in Nosferatu. On the contrary, the actor gives himself to his character, body, and soul. The same can be said for the whole cast, with Willem Dafoe adding another brilliant quirk role to his constantly growing list of successes. Still, this is Depp’s movie, and everyone else is there to help her shine. Even Skarsgård’s vampire, while menacing, is a secondary presence once Depp unleashes the potential of Ellen.

The second half of Eggers’ Nosferatu is also visually more interesting. Once the story moves from Orlok’s castle to Wisborg, the lightning problems are past, and the cinematography fully embraces a gray palette to craft the oppressive duration of the night. It’s impossible not to feel that the first hour works as a necessary introduction, setting the stage for the movie Eggers truly wanted to make. Still, that means Nosferatu demands some patience from viewers. So, even though the final moments of the remake are among the best horror sequences in recent history, the movie takes some time to get the ball rolling.

Nosferatu also suffers from some specific creative choices. The remake has more exposition than any of Eggers’ previous films, making it more accessible to all audiences. However, as it often does, exposition gets in the way of proper pacing. Plus, since the remake wants to give Count Orlok human necessities, the creature has been redesigned to look more like a man and less like a beast, which includes a distracting and frankly odd mustache.

Eggers’ Nosferatu isn’t a masterpiece but is a marvelous Gothic horror movie. The tragedy of the human condition and unfulfilled love guides the terrifying imagery Eggers conjures, and the remake lingers heavy in the heart. This is Eggers’ worst movie to date but is still one of the best horror movies of 2024.