HOLLYWOOD—There sometimes comes an extreme curse with being a film student or historian of cinema. Why? You’ve seen movies that a lot of others will never see and it provides you with a perspective that is hard to explain in words. I saw the original “Nosferatu” from 1922 that was in black and white and had no sound and starred Max Schreck as Orlock aka Nosferatu, the first vampire on film in my film history course nearly 20 plus years ago.
At the time that I saw the movie, I was fascinated by what I was witnessing despite it being no caliber to the type of cinema I had seen most of my life. So, imagine my giddiness at the thought of a remake nearly 100 years later to such an iconic piece of cinema. The problem is that that 2024 version of “Nosferatu” is a good movie, but nothing that blew my socks off.
The first half of this remake by Robert Eggers I found boring. I just could not get into it; it moved a bit too slow at a pace that will almost cause most moviegoers to check out. However, right when you’re ready to check out, it picks up and it does it in a way that keeps you entertained until the terrifying end. I am going to give Eggers kudos for his camera work because it is fantastic. The cinematography in this movie is some of the best that I have seen in decades in the film industry. It is beautiful and captivating; you feel like you’re in Wisburg, Germany.
The set pieces and all are just beautifully shot, but as great as that is the narrative doesn’t have an immediate hook for you. When we talk about the acting Lily Rose-Depp is awesome as our heroine Ellen. There is a scene in this movie that is just gripping to watch. She immerses herself in the role and you can absolutely feel it. I felt the same sentiment with Willem Dafoe as the wise doctor who examines Ellen who is suffering from convulsions, and he surmises that she is possessed.
He brings an energy to the movie that was absolutely lacking in the first half. Dafoe and Rose-Depp earn major accolades from me because they are the reason I continued to push through the film when I was ready to check out. Nicholas Hoult also stars in the flick as Thomas Hutter who is the first to come face-to-face with Count Orlok, who is showcased to the audience in a level of mystery that is not as effective as Eggers had hoped. It’s so obvious Eggers is trying to hide what Orlok aka Nosferatu looks like that the lore doesn’t really deliver when we get a glimpse of what he fully looks like.
Not to mention Bill Skarsgard, makeup and all is not as scary or threatening as you wish him to be. I wanted more considering this remake is more than 100 years later from the original and I actually found Schreck’s Orlock to be a bit more captivating, and mesmerizing. The audience gets a villain that doesn’t scare you like you expect when it comes to horror. Yes, there is more blood, yes there is more violence, but it is still tame compared to what we witness in modern horror today.
I almost hate saying this, but that extensive time period where Hutter is absent from the move drags the narrative. When he returns alongside Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Dafoe) and Ellen (Rose-Depp) the movie clicks; the chemistry is there, and it seems the narrative moves in full force, and we see even more layers of these characters that stand out. Those three are the glue to the story and they needed more potency in the first half. This isn’t to take from the others in the movie like Emma Corrin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Anna and Freidrich Harding, I just didn’t care about them.
I am happy that “Nosferatu” is getting the buzz it’s getting because it is an aspect of classic horror that not many people know about when it comes to the origins of vampires and Dracula. His face was not always powder white, and he didn’t wear a black cape. This movie provides a bit more lure to the iconic villain and while it’s not exceptional is damn well-executed and once the supernatural thriller gets going it is a fun ride to witness for a new generation.
